Ryan Fischer, the man who was shot in the chest while walking Lady Gaga's three dogs this week, is expected to make a full recovery. The pop star, meanwhile, has publicly dubbed him a "hero."
Ryan was shot on Feb. 24 while walking Gaga's three French Bulldogs in Hollywood, Calif. Video of the incident shows a white car — believed to be a Nissan Sentra or Nissan Altima — pull up to Ryan during an evening dog walk. Two men quickly get out and demand that Ryan "give it up," presumably talking about the dogs. Following a brief skirmish, Ryan was shot by one of the men. As Ryan begged for help while bleeding profusely on the sidewalk, the thieves got away with two of the dogs, named Koji and Gustav. A third dog ran away but was later recovered.
On Feb, 26 Gaga publicly broke her silence about the horrific incident.
"My beloved dogs Koji and Gustav were taken in Hollywood two nights ago. My heart is sick and I am praying my family will be whole again with an act of kindness. I will pay $500,000 for their safe return," she tweeted alongside an email address for those with information.
She added, "If you bought or found them unknowingly, the reward is the same. I continue to love you Ryan Fischer, you risked your life to fight for our family. You're forever a hero."
Ryan family told TMZ that he is "receiving extraordinary care in the hospital right now and his doctors expect him to make a full recovery."
"We cannot possibly say enough to thank all of the first responders, nurses and doctors who have worked so tirelessly to care for Ryan," the statement continued. "Of course, we also want to thank Lady Gaga who has shown nothing but non-stop love and concern for Ryan and our family right from the outset. Ryan loves Gustavo and Koji as much as Lady Gaga does; so we join in her plea for their safe return."
Gaga was filming a movie in Rome at the time of the dognapping and shooting. Still, TMZ reports that police believe the crooks knew who the dogs belonged to and took them for ransom. But, no one has reportedly been in touch with the singer or her reps demanding payment so far.
Ramifications from the incident are already being felt in Hollywood, with many dog walking companies overhauling their typical routines and focusing on security measures to ensure the safety of the walkers and the animals.