- Ryan Fischer,
Lady Gaga 's dog walker, spoke publicly Monday for the first time since he was shot. - Fischer had been walking the pop star's dogs in Hollywood last week when the incident occurred.
- Two of the three dogs were stolen but were returned after Gaga offered a $500,000 reward.
Ryan Fischer, Lady Gaga's dog walker who was shot last week in Hollywood while walking her French bulldogs, spoke publicly about the ordeal for the first time Monday, thanking the pop star for her support.
Security video of the February 24 incident showed two men jump out of a white sedan that pulled up next to Fischer as he walked three of Gaga's dogs. The men struggled with Fischer before one man pulled a gun and fired it, injuring Fischer. The men returned to the vehicle and fled with two of Gaga's dogs, leaving one dog behind.
In an Instagram post, Fischer said Monday that people living in the Hollywood neighborhood where he was shot came to his aid after the thieves left him for dead.
"I am still in recovery from a very close call with death and have kept myself (for the most part, I mean I am human) from the growing media story," Fischer wrote. "I will write and say more later, but the gratitude for all the love I feel from around this planet is immense and intense."
According to the Associated Press, an unidentified woman delivered the two stolen dogs, Koji and Gustav, to police on Friday, not long after Gaga offered a $500,000 reward for their return. The woman is not believed to be connected to the crime, police said at the time.
In his Instagram post, Fischer wrote: "While a car sped away and blood poured from my gun shot wound, an angel trotted over and laid next to me. My panicked screams calmed as I looked at her, even though it registered that the blood pooling around her tiny body was my own."
Fischer thanked the first responders for saving his life, and his family and clients for showing him support as he's been recovering from his injuries. He also thanked Gaga, who is in Rome filming a movie. She has not yet spoken publicly since the dogs were returned.
"Our babies are back and the family is whole … we did it!" Fischer wrote. "You have shown so much support throughout this whole crisis to both me and my family. But your support as a friend, despite your own traumatic loss from your kids, was unwavering. I love you and thank you."
The Los Angeles Police Department has released information about the suspects, but so far, no one has been arrested in the case.