Politics
Woman Charged With Attempted Murder After Incident Near Rihanna’s Home
A suspect has been charged with attempted murder following an incident outside Rihanna’s house in California last week.
On Monday, the Los Angeles Police Department confirmed that the Pon De Replay singer’s home had been targeted by a woman who fired numerous shots in the direction of the property from outside of it over the weekend.
Days later, 35-year-old Ivanna Lisette Ortiz was charged with attempted murder, as well as 10 felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm and three felony counts of shooting at an inhabited dwelling or camper.
BBC News reported that her bail is set at $1.875 million (around £1.4 million), and that she is facing a potential life sentence.
“Opening fire in any populated neighbourhood is extremely dangerous, puts lives at risk and will be fully prosecuted,” the Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman was quoted as saying.
“This careless violence will not be tolerated in our community. Such shooters will find their next destination to be our jails and prisons.”
After allegedly fleeing the scene, Ortiz’s white Tesla was found around eight miles from Rihanna’s property, after which she was arrested and detained.
It’s also been reported that Ortiz had previously shared a number of social media posts referencing Rihanna.
Rihanna and her partner A$AP Rocky are both believed to have been at their home at the time of the shooting.
In September of last year, the couple welcomed their third child, a baby girl who they named Rocky Irish Mayers.
They were already parents to two sons, three-year-old RZA and two-year-old Riot.
Best known for her hits like Umbrella, We Found Love and Work, Rihanna has pivoted away from music in the last decade to focus on her hugely successful makeup and lingerie businesses.
She has continued to sporadically release music and perform in the last 10 years though, most notably headlining the Super Bowl Halftime Show in 2023 and landing an Oscar nomination for her contribution to the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack.