Ivanna Ortiz, 35, appeared in a Los Angeles courtroom Wednesday and pushed back against her own public defender's request to suspend the criminal case for a competency evaluation, according to a report by Rolling Stone.
Ortiz is accused of driving to Rihanna's Beverly Hills-area home on March 8 and firing approximately 20 rounds from an AR-15-style rifle while the property was occupied by the singer, her partner A$AP Rocky, whose legal name is Rakim Mayers, the couple's three young children, and Rihanna's mother.
Los Angeles County Judge Shannon Cooley ruled there was not enough evidence to override Ortiz's wishes, but offered to assist the defense by signing an order to obtain records from the jail. The judge explained the legal threshold: "A competency hearing is mandated only if there's objective evidence of a defendant's incompetence, regardless of [defense] counsel's subjective opinion." She added, "Voluntary barriers to communication with counsel or a doctor are not sufficient," indicating Ortiz had stopped cooperating with her attorney before Wednesday's hearing.
According to a police report obtained by Rolling Stone, Rihanna and Mayers were inside an Airstream trailer parked outside the home when the shooting began. Rihanna heard "approximately ten loud sounds like something banging on metal," opened the curtains, and "observed bullet holes in the windshield directly in front of where she had been standing," then "grabbed Rakim out of bed, told him they were being shot at, and pushed both of them to the ground." The couple then ran into the garage and rushed to secure their children and staff.
"They shooting at us," the superstar singer allegedly said as she woke Mayers and forced him to the floor.
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. She sat quietly in court wearing an orange jail uniform and handcuffs, speaking only when addressed by the judge.
"Ms. Ortiz, you're not willing to waive time and want to set your preliminary hearing. Is that where you're still at?" the judge asked. "Still at," Ortiz replied, shaking her head in the affirmative. As she walked back into custody, she turned and smiled at the gallery.
At a prior hearing, Deputy District Attorney Alexander Bott described the incident as "an extremely dangerous deliberate shooting in occupied homes," saying the shooting lasted several seconds and could have been deadly. "This was calculated conduct," Bott said. "She brought a loaded rifle, ammunition, and even..."
Ortiz's lawyer said he also plans to file a motion requesting a delay based on voluminous discovery. The next hearing in the case is set for May 19.
