Judge Denies Competency Hearing for Rihanna Shooting Suspect
*A Florida woman is accused of opening fire on Rihanna’s Beverly Crest-area home on March 8, while the Grammy-winning singer was inside with rapper A$AP Rocky, her three children, her mother, and two staff members. A neighboring residence was also hit in the attack. Fortunately, no one was injured. Officers from the Los Angeles Police […] The post Judge Denies Competency Hearing for Rihanna Shooting Suspect appeared first on EURweb | Black News, Culture, Entertainment & More.
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*A Florida woman is accused of opening fire on Rihanna’s Beverly Crest-area home on March 8, while the Grammy-winning singer was inside with rapper A$AP Rocky, her three children, her mother, and two staff members. A neighboring residence was also hit in the attack. Fortunately, no one was injured.
Officers from the Los Angeles Police Department’s West LA division responded to the scene and recovered a weapon used in the shooting. Rihanna was reportedly seen boarding a flight the following day, leaving the area in the wake of the incident.
Ivanna Lisette Ortiz, 35, of Orlando, Florida, has been charged in connection with the attack and faces one count of attempted murder, 10 counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm, two counts of shooting at an inhabited dwelling, and one count of shooting at an inhabited vehicle. Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Shannon K. Cooley ruled Wednesday that the case would not be referred to mental competency proceedings, finding “not substantial evidence of incompetence” despite a request from Ortiz’s public defender, who had expressed doubt about his client’s mental fitness, ABC Los Angeles reports.
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman addressed reporters in March, noting that Ortiz’s alleged motive remains under active investigation. “Law enforcement will be looking at any videos on social media, at any additional evidence that they can uncover to both understand her motivation and why she did these particular acts,” he said.
Ortiz was taken into custody within hours of the shooting, police said. At the time of her arrest, she was found in possession of a rifle, ammunition, and a wig.
She remains held on $1.875 million bail, has been ordered to have no contact with Rihanna or A$AP Rocky, and has been barred from practicing speech-language pathology in California, where she has held a license since 2016. If convicted, she could face life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Ortiz is next due in court for a hearing that will decide whether prosecutors have sufficient evidence to take the case to trial.
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The post Judge Denies Competency Hearing for Rihanna Shooting Suspect appeared first on EURweb | Black News, Culture, Entertainment & More.
