Lady Gaga's dog walker responds to suspect in shooting mistakenly released from jail

Police are searching for one of the suspects accused of shooting and seriously wounding Lady Gaga's dog walker in a robbery last year after authorities mistakenly released him from custody Wednesday.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is currently "investigating the inadvertent release" of James Howard Jackson, LASD Deputy Veronica Fantom said in a statement to USA TODAY.

Jackson, 19, is among five people charged in the case. Jackson, Jaylin White and Lafayette Whaley were charged with attempted murder, conspiracy to commit robbery and second-degree robbery. Jennifer McBride and Harold White were charged as accessories to attempted murder.

Jackson is accused of shooting the pop star's dog walker Ryan Fischer.

Jackson was in court at the Clara Shortridge Criminal Justice Center on Tuesday and was released from custody on Wednesday "due to a clerical error," Fantom confirmed.

The statement added the bureau is "actively working" to get Jackson back in custody.

White and Whaley are still in jail, according to online records.

Lady Gaga dog walker shooting: Dognapping suspects tailed Lady Gaga's dog walker before robbery, attempted murder, prosecutors say

Original story: Lady Gaga calls dog walker Ryan Fischer a 'hero' after shooting incident

On Friday, Lady Gaga's dog walker Fischer, who has shared his harrowing road to recovery in social media posts, responded to the news of Jackson's accidental release on Instagram, saying he was "deeply concerned."

But added: "I’m confident law enforcement will rectify the error. I ask for Mr. Jackson to turn himself over to the authorities, so resolution to the crime committed against me runs its course, whatever the courts determine that outcome to be. Thank you to everyone who is supporting me during this time."

Fischer was walking three of Lady Gaga's dogs in February 2021 when a man approached the dog walker and shot him once, according to Los Angeles Police Department's Officer Drake Madison.

After the incident, Lady Gaga called Fischer a "hero."

In May, more details emerged about the attack in a felony complaint, filed by prosecutors in Los Angeles Superior Court and obtained by The Associated Press.

Whaley drove Jackson and White around Hollywood, the city of West Hollywood and the San Fernando Valley on Feb. 24 “looking for French bulldogs,” the felony complaint stated.

The trio tailed Fischer as he led the dogs — named Asia, Koji and Gustav — along the famed Sunset Boulevard, LA prosecutors wrote. They turned off the lights of a white sedan and followed him down a secluded side street.

Jackson and White jumped out and attacked Fischer, stealing Koji and Gustav in a violent struggle captured on the doorbell camera of a nearby home. They hit and choked Fischer, prosecutors alleged, and Jackson pulled out a semiautomatic gun and fired, striking Fischer once before they fled.

Lady Gaga's dog walker: Ryan Fischer readmitted to ER, had portions of lung removed after shooting

The camera recorded the dog walker screaming “Oh, my God! I’ve been shot!” and “Help me!” and “I’m bleeding out from my chest!”

Over the next two days, White’s father, Harold White, and Jennifer McBride, who was in a relationship with the elder White, became involved in the theft, prosecutors wrote. They allegedly helped the younger White avoid arrest, and McBride returned the dogs to police on Feb. 26.

She claimed she’d found the animals tied to a pole, police said at the time, and asked about Lady Gaga’s offer of a $500,000 reward if the dogs were returned “no questions asked.” The singer was in Rome at the time filming a movie.

Police initially said McBride appeared to be “uninvolved and unassociated” with the crime. She is charged with receiving stolen property valued above $950, in addition to a count of being an accessory after the fact.

Jackson already had been charged in the attack and had pleaded not guilty when the county district attorney’s office filed a superceding indictment Tuesday charging him with attempted murder, conspiracy to commit a robbery and assault with a semiautomatic firearm.

The move was done “to speed up the legal process” and Jackson was arraigned Wednesday under a new case number, the DA’s office said in a statement.

“Mr. Jackson was subsequently released from custody by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. We are unsure as to why they did so,” the statement said.

Lady Gaga at the Oscars: Liza Minnelli, Lady Gaga warm hearts amid chaotic night in tender moment

Contributing: Charles Trepany, USA TODAY; Stefanie Dazio, The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Lady Gaga dog walker shooting suspect search: Ryan Fischer responds