In an epic slip-up in the legal system, the primary suspect in the Lady Gaga dogwalker shooting incident last year was mistakenly released from prison this past week.
James Howard Jackson, age 19, was accidentally freed from his jail cell, where he has been awaiting trial, along with the four other people who have been accused of orchestrating and conducting the horrific attack that left Ryan Fischer fighting for his life in a hospital early last year.
Due to what authorities have called a “clerical error,” James walked on the streets a free man following attending a prescribed court proceeding at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center in downtown L.A.
Suspect James Howard Jackson was mistakenly released from prison after appearing at a court proceeding for the attack on Ryan Fischer
According to the Los Angeles Times, KNBC-TV Channel 4 spoke with the district attorney’s office last Thursday that James was set to face a superseding grand jury indictment charge, but it “appeared the superseding case was not entered against Jackson.”
The office of the D.A. continued their statement regarding the mishap, adding that “Mr. Jackson was subsequently released from custody by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.”
They concluded by saying that they were “unsure” about the reasoning behind the release but assured the public that their “office is working with the Sheriff’s Department to take Mr. Jackson back into custody.”
Los Angeles Superior Court spokesperson Ann Donlan said that James Howard Jackson is currently being pursued once again to remedy the error, with a warrant having been immediately released for his arrest.
She added that the court was “conducting an investigation on this serious error and has no further comment at this time.”
Ryan Fischer was shot at close range last year, and five people were subsequently arrested for the attack
Ryan Fischer was brutally assaulted last February while taking Lady Gaga’s three prized French bulldogs for a stroll in the streets of L.A.
A nearby surveillance camera captured the horrific moment the celebrity dogwalker was approached, shot at close range multiple times, and two of the dogs were subsequently stolen and driven away, leaving a gravely injured Ryan fighting for his life on the sidewalk.
As details of the shooting and dognapping unfolded, an alleged good Samaritan returned the two pooches just days after the attack, bringing them in to local police while claiming she had found them tied up in an alley.
Although Lady Gaga had offered up a hefty $500,000 reward for the dogs’ safe return, police cautioned the singer and House of Gucci actress to hold off until they had fully cleared the woman of any involvement.
It didn’t take long for the police to reveal that the woman, along with James Howard Jackson and three other men, were deemed to all be part of the scheme to steal the pups and arrests were made.
Ryan has since made a full recovery, though he has been left with post-traumatic stress from his terrifying ordeal.