A man was shot Wednesday night in Hollywood as he walked French bulldogs belonging to Lady Gaga, who is offering a $500,000 reward in the case, two sources close to the singer-songwriter told NBC News.
The shooting was reported at about 9:45 p.m. Wednesday near Sierra Bonita
Avenue and Sunset Boulevard, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. The victim, later identified as Ryan Fischer, was taken to a hospital, but details about his condition were not immediately available.
Sources close to Lady Gaga told NBC News the Oscar and Grammy winner is offering a $500,000 reward for the return of her dogs -- no questions asked. The dogs are named Koji and Gustav. The sources provided the following email for anyone with information -- KojiandGustav@gmail.com.
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NBCLA has reached out to Los Angeles police, who could not confirm the link to Lady Gaga.
Intense video obtained by TMZ showed the moments the dog walker was confronted, screaming for help, before being shot.
Warning: The video is extremely upsetting.
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Police said two dogs were taken by the assailants, who left the location in a light-colored sedan, possibly a Nissan, police said. Video showed an officer at the scene holding a French bulldog in a blanket, but it was not immediately clear whether the dog was one of the dogs taken by the thieves or possibly a third dog.
LAPD said the department was searching for two men in a White Nissan Altima.
A photo of one of the French bulldogs was posted to Lady Gaga's Instagram account in October 2018. The breed is the fourth most popular in the United States, according to the American Kennel Club.