Ryan Fischer, employed to walk Lady Gaga’s dogs, became the focus of international headlines when he was shot in the chest by assailants who abducted the singer’s beloved French bulldogs.
While the criminals were eventually apprehended, Fischer’s secret grand jury testimony in the case has just been unsealed, providing a terrifying insight into his experience of taking a bullet at point-blank range.
In court documents obtained by Rolling Stone, Fischer testifies about his harrowing experience when a vehicle pulled up next to him while he was walking Gaga’s dogs, Asia, Gustav and Koji. The suspects exited the vehicle and demanded he hand over the animals.
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When he refused, Fischer said that one of the suspects slammed him against a concrete embankment and began choking him. He retaliated by striking his attacker with a bottle of champagne he’d just purchased, allowing him to break free and try to rescue one of the dogs.
“The dog screamed at me, and I reached for him, and then the guy, the man with the gun shot me as I was reaching,” Fischer said, continuing by recalling that he crumpled to the ground as the suspects drove away in a white Nissan Sentra, absconding with Gustav and Koji.
“I immediately tried to call for help but realized I was bleeding out of my lung and that I was losing more and more air quickly,” Fischer testified. “And the other dog, Asia, came to, came to my side, and I tried to project as much as possible in a calm manner to get people out of their houses to ask for help.”
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The attackers were eventually found and the dogs returned to Gaga.
Meanwhile, Fischer faced a long, painful recovery after suffering a collapsed lung, requiring surgery to repair the damage after the bullet entered “right next to my brachial plexus and the collar bone area,” and exited through his shoulder blade.
“It went through my lung because I was reaching forward, trying to grab Koji,” he explained.
“I consented to part of my lung being removed. The top third of my lung being removed as well as the bottom portion as well,” he added, noting this had left him with “breathing issues,” numbness in his chest and the need for “constant” physical therapy in order to avoid scar tissue forming that would restrict mobility in his “right arm down to his fingers.”
READ MORE: Lady Gaga’s Dog Walker Ryan Fischer Opens Up About Enduring Trauma From Being Shot
According to Fischer’s testimony, the aftereffects of the shooting continue to linger. “When I go from the ground up to stand, I have to, I still get very close to passing out,” he testified. “So I have to take a moment with that.”
