The shooting at Rihanna’s Beverly Hills home over the weekend was allegedly premeditated, according to prosecutors.
On Sunday, March 8, authorities say a 35-year-old Florida woman, Ivana Ortiz, fired seven shots at the music mogul’s residence. In the days since, additional details have emerged about the suspect, including allegations that her actions were “willful, deliberate, and premeditated,” according to a criminal complaint obtained by People magazine.
Prosecutors further allege that Ortiz, a former speech pathologist from Orlando, traveled to the property with the intent to kill.
The Los Angeles Police Department responded to the scene around 1:20 p.m. local time after Ortiz allegedly opened fire with an AR-15-style rifle from a white Tesla, the Los Angeles Times reported. Authorities say she also fired several shots at a neighboring home before officers located her about a block away and took her into custody without incident. The firearm was recovered from her vehicle at the time of her arrest.
No injuries were reported, though Rihanna, A$AP Rocky, and their three young children were reportedly home at the time of the shooting, TMZ reported.
Authorities say there is no known personal connection between Ortiz and the singer. However, investigators and online sleuths have found social media posts that appear to show a fixation on Rihanna. As late as January, per ABC 7, Ortiz posted a video in which she can be heard saying, “Listen Rihanna, when you die God is taking me to my future.”
Court records also show Ortiz lost legal custody of her child in April 2024, when a judge awarded full custody to her ex-husband and barred her from contact.
Additional court records in Florida detail a 2023 involuntary commitment to a mental health facility, an arrest that same year on a domestic violence battery charge involving her ex-husband, several careless driving citations, and a 2013 bankruptcy filing.
Following her arrest, Ortiz was initially booked on suspicion of attempted murder and held on $10.225 million bail. On Tuesday, March 10, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office formally charged her with 14 felony counts: one count of attempted murder, 10 counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm, and three counts of shooting at an inhabited dwelling or vehicle. If convicted on all counts, she could face life in prison.
During a court hearing on Tuesday, her bail was reduced to $1.875 million. Ortiz, who is being represented by a public defender, has not yet entered a plea. Her formal arraignment is scheduled for March 25.
Since the shooting, Rihanna has reportedly left Los Angeles.
