Florida woman accused of shooting at Rihanna's home said she 'wasn't attempting murder'

James Queally, Los Angeles Times on Mar 25, 2026

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LOS ANGELES — A Florida woman pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges that she sprayed bullets at Rihanna's West L.A. home earlier this month, and told investigators she "wasn't attempting murder" after her arrest, according to a police report made public this week.

Ivanna Ortiz, 35, of Orlando, was charged with attempted murder and nine counts of assault following the March 8 incident. Police say Ortiz raked Rihanna's Beverly Crest property with an assault rifle, striking an Airstream trailer on the property, the singer's home and a neighbor's home.

No one was hit, but Rihanna and her husband, hip-hop star A$AP Rocky, were in the Airstream at the time of the shooting, according to a police report made public this week as part of a court filing.

The police report offered a firsthand account of the shooting from Rihanna's perspective. The pop star told police that Rocky was sleeping when she "suddenly heard approximately 10 loud sounds like something banging on metal," according to the report.

When the shooting stopped, she grabbed Rocky "out of bed, told him they were being shot at and pushed both of them to the ground," according to the police report. The couple then ran to their house to check on their children, according to the report. Although there were three bullet impacts against the windshield and side of the Airstream, none of the rounds penetrated the vehicle, the report said.

Prosecutors said the couple's three children, Rihanna's mother, two staff members and two of the singer's neighbors were all home at the time as well and listed as victims in the complaint.

During a brief court hearing in downtown L.A. on Wednesday morning, Ortiz appeared in a yellow jail jumper with her blonde hair tied back. She entered a not guilty plea through her attorney, L.A. County Deputy Public Defender Derek Dillman.

Dillman asked the court to lower her bail to $70,000 due to financial constraints. But L.A. County Superior Court Judge Theresa McGonigle denied that request after L.A. County Deputy District Attorney Alex Bott argued Ortiz is a threat to public safety, saying she allegedly plotted the attack in advance and fired off roughly 20 rounds in Rihanna's neighborhood.

"This is the kind of conduct that could have easily resulted in multiple homicides," Bott said.

Ortiz, a licensed speech pathologist in Florida and California, remains jailed in lieu of $1.8 million. If convicted as charged, she faces life in state prison.

According to the LAPD report — which was published with a motion filed by the California attorney general's office to bar Ortiz from practicing as a therapist while the criminal case is pending — Ortiz was carrying a black Springfield Armory rifle and two 30-round rifle magazines when she was arrested in Sherman Oaks less than an hour after the shooting. Ortiz legally owned the firearm, according to court records.

She declined to answer questions from police after her arrest, but did offer a brief statement to investigators, according to the report.

"Can I say one sentence?" she asked, according to the report. "I would like to say that I wasn't attempting murder. But that's all I wanted to say."

The L.A. County public defender's office has not commented on the allegations.

Police have not disclosed a motive in the attack. Ortiz had made a number of angry social media posts about Rihanna in the weeks before the shooting. Ortiz falsely claimed the singer had AIDS and demanded Rihanna "say something to me directly instead of sneaking around like you talking to me where I'm not at," according to the posts.

Rihanna and Rocky have not spoken publicly about the incident. According to the police report, Rihanna told detectives "she has received death threats over social media in the past but most never rose to a serious level."

While she told police she has sought restraining orders against some stalkers, she could not think of any "recent event" that might be associated with the shooting.

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