A Los Angeles judge has suspended the attempted murder case against Ivanna Ortiz, the woman accused of firing 20 shots at Rihanna’s home, after finding evidence to question her mental competency, according to music-news.com.
Judge Shannon Cooley halted proceedings on May 20 after meeting privately with Ortiz’s public defender. A court source confirmed to Rolling Stone on May 21 that the judge found sufficient grounds to refer Ortiz to the county’s mental health court.
Ortiz, who was not present in court for the ruling, will now undergo an evaluation to determine if she can understand the case against her. The decision comes a week after Judge Cooley denied a similar request, stating there was insufficient evidence at the time to override Ortiz’s demand to stand trial.
Ortiz has pleaded not guilty to one count of attempted murder, 10 counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm and three counts of shooting at an inhabited dwelling. Prosecutors allege she drove to Rihanna’s Los Angeles home on March 8 and fired a semi-automatic rifle while the property was occupied.
According to court filings, Rihanna, husband A$AP Rocky, their three young children and the singer’s mother were inside at the time. Prosecutors said the singer pushed A$AP Rocky to the ground to take cover during the incident.
At an earlier hearing, Deputy District Attorney Alexander Bott described the incident as “an extremely dangerous deliberate shooting in occupied homes,” adding that the gunfire lasted several seconds and could have been deadly.
•Featured image: Rihanna/Angela Weiss/AFP/Getty Images
