Florida woman charged in shooting at Rihanna’s Los Angeles home

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A Florida woman accused of firing gunshots at Rihanna’s home in Los Angeles was charged Tuesday with one count of attempted murder and other felony offences including 10 counts of assault on a person with a semi-automatic firearm.

District Attorney Nathan Hochman said that the singing superstar, her partner A$AP Rocky, their three small children and her mother were all on the property at the time.

The district attorney’s office said Ivanna Lisette Ortiz, 35, was charged in the shooting Sunday afternoon outside the superstar’s gated home in the Beverly Hills area.

No one was hurt.

Court records show Ortiz also was charged with 10 counts of assault on a person with a semi-automatic firearm and three counts of shooting at an inhabited vehicle or dwelling.

All 14 counts are felonies, and she was brought for a scheduled arraignment before Judge Theresa McGonigle on Tuesday afternoon in Superior Court of Los Angeles County.

Deputy Public Defender Jamarcus Bradford, Ortiz’s attorney, at first entered a plea of not guilty on her behalf, but then withdrew it in favour of postponing arraignment until March 25.

She was ordered held on $1.8 million bail. Ortiz wore blue jail clothes with her blond hair in braids and spoke to her lawyer through a glass divider.

The judge issued a protective order for Ortiz to stay away from Robin Fenty and Rakim Mayers –- the legal names of Rihanna and her partner A$AP Rocky –- and their home. McGonigle also said Ortiz is not allowed to possess any firearms or ammunition along with several other conditions.

Earlier Tuesday, Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell told media gathered for a news conference on a different subject that 10 people were at Rihanna’s home when shots were fired. He said investigators believe Ortiz drove to the area from Florida, but it’s not clear when.

Public records show her most recent address was in Orlando and that she has been a licensed speech pathologist for more than a decade.

Ortiz was arrested Sunday afternoon after the shooting and a weapon was recovered, police said. They have not said whether she has any known connection to Rihanna.

Voicemails and other messages left by The Associated Press, including an email sent to the public defender’s office, were not immediately answered Tuesday.

AP also sent emails seeking comment from Rihanna’s publicist and manager.

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