Rihanna's alleged shooting suspect faces potential life sentence
The woman accused of shooting at Rihanna's home while she and her family were inside was hit with 14 charges, including for attempted murder, on Tuesday.In a press conference on Tuesday, Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman announced that Ivanna Lisette Ortiz had been charged with one count of attempted murder, ten counts of assault with a semi-automatic firearm, and three counts of shooting into an inhabited dwelling or camper.Hochman said the 35-year-old woman could face up to life in state prison if convicted of the crimes, which occurred on Sunday.Although Rocky (real name: Rakim Mayers) was previously reported to have not been home at the time of the shooting, the LA DA stated in the press conference that Rihanna, 38, and Rocky, 37, had been in an airstream trailer on her property when Ortiz allegedly opened fire. 10 lives in the line of fire According to Hochman, Ortiz was charged with three counts of shooting into an inhabited dwelling because Rihanna's property includes two dwellings, while Ortiz allegedly also shot at a neighbor's home.The DA said the 10 counts of assault were for each person allegedly in the line of fire from Ortiz.He said Rihanna, Rocky, their three children — sons RZA, three; Riot, two; and daughter Rocki, five months — and her mother had been on her property at the time of the shooting, along with two staff members.Two other individuals were also in the neighboring residence that Ortiz allegedly fired on.Although no one was injured in the shooting, a law enforcement official told the Los Angeles Times that Rihanna and Rocky 'easily could have been hit.' Blue jumpsuit and a no-plea start Ortiz made her first appearance in court on Tuesday, though she did not enter a plea, according to the LA Times.Ortiz, who was dressed in a blue jumpsuit for her appearance, had a continuance for her arraignment scheduled for March 26. The Los Angeles DA announced in his press conference that Judge Theresa McGonigle had set Ortiz's bail at $1,875,000. In the event that she should make bail, Ortiz was also ordered to stay away from Rihanna and Rocky. In addition to issuing the protective order, Judge McGonigle ordered Ortiz to surrender all of her firearms.Outside the courthouse, Hochman stated during his press conference: 'I want everyone in this county to understand that you should absolutely feel safe in your residence, in your neighborhood and in your community. When someone comes into our community and decides to shoot it up, that person will be arrested and held fully accountable for their actions.' Motive unknown Ortiz — who hails from Orlando, Florida — was represented at her first court appearance by LA County Public Defender Jamarcus Bradford. She is accused of firing at Rihanna's property at the neighboring home with an AR-15–style rifle from her white Tesla. According to TMZ, Ortiz waived her right to a speedy trial at her first court appearance.Audio obtained by the Daily Mail of the 911 dispatch call regarding the shooting paints a tense picture of the hunt to find the vehicle, which was reportedly tracked down thanks in part to how dirty it was. Hochman said that Ortiz had fled to Beverly Hills before ending up in the parking lot of the Sherman Oaks Galleria, where she was arrested 30 minutes after the shooting. Jim McDonnell, chief of the LAPD, said Tuesday during his weekly crime briefing that the motive for the shooting has not been established, but the investigation by the LAPD’s Robbery–Homicide Division is ongoing. Custody crisis Hal Roen, the attorney for Ortiz's ex-husband, Jed Nikko Valdez Sangalang, told TMZ that Ortiz had previously been involuntarily committed to a psychiatric facility under Florida state law, which allows for up to 72-hour voluntary or involuntary holds.Documents obtained by the publication indicated that a judge in Florida awarded Ortiz's ex-husband with full physical custody of their child in April 2024. Ortiz was reportedly barred from all contact with their child, including in-person meetings, phone calls, video chats, text messages, emails and any communication through another individual as long as the order is in effect. However, in December of last year, she filed an appeal to overturn the custody decision. From Orlando to Beverly Hills Ortiz — who has ironically positioned herself as a Christian influencer — has previously shared messages online directly targeting Rihanna, the Daily Mail has revealed.She shared seething posts criticizing the hitmaker on Facebook, including one in which she suggested Rihanna had spoken negatively about her, though no connection between the women has been established.She also shared videos in which she discussed Rihanna's death and made disturbing threats toward the singer.The Daily Mail has also revealed that Ortiz was previously arrested for domestic violence, careless driving and violating pretrial release conditions in Florida. While Ortiz was being arraigned on Tuesday, Rihanna was spotted flying out of Los Angeles the previous day on a private jet. Share your thoughts with us in the comments
