A woman accused of firing a semiautomatic rifle at Rihanna's Los Angeles home has been ruled mentally competent to stand trial, ending a four-month delay caused by a court-ordered psychiatric evaluation.
Ivanna Lisette Ortiz, who is based in Florida, appeared before Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Maria Cavalluzzi on Monday, where she was deemed fit to proceed. Case documents containing her psychiatric evaluations were marked confidential and sealed, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Ortiz has pleaded not guilty to charges of attempted murder. Police also charged her with 10 counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm and three counts of shooting at an inhabited vehicle or dwelling. If convicted, she faces a maximum penalty of life in prison.
The shooting occurred at approximately 1:15 p.m. local time on March 8, when Rihanna and her partner A$AP Rocky were inside their home. Nobody was injured. According to a police report obtained by the Daily Mail, Rihanna was inside an Airstream trailer on the grounds of the property when she heard what sounded like «10 loud bangs on metal.» A$AP Rocky was in the trailer at the time. When Rihanna looked outside, she realized the noises were gunshots and discovered bullet holes in the trailer's windshield — where she had reportedly been standing just seconds earlier.
The report stated that Rihanna grabbed her partner «out of bed, told him they were being shot at, and pushed both of them to the ground.» A$AP Rocky told police he awoke to his partner saying, «They shooting at us.»
The three shooting charges relate to Rihanna's house, the trailer she was inside at the time, and a neighbor's property. The assault charges cover Rihanna, her family, two members of staff, and two people in the neighboring house. A criminal complaint previously listed Robyn Fenty (Rihanna) and Rakim Mayers (A$AP Rocky) as victims, along with their three children, Rihanna's mother Monica, and others.
Ortiz's Tesla was found at a shopping mall eight miles from Rihanna's home, and she was taken into custody.
The competency ruling follows a lengthy evaluation process that had stalled the case for more than four months. With Ortiz now cleared to stand trial, proceedings are expected to move forward, though a trial date has not been announced.
The case has drawn widespread attention because of the celebrity status of the victims and the nature of the alleged attack on a quiet residential property. Rihanna, a global music and fashion icon, and A$AP Rocky, a rapper and producer, have three children together. In recent months, A$AP Rocky said that Rihanna is back in the studio, signaling a potential return to music.