Don Lemon is recalling a “scary” close call he had earlier this month related to a shooting incident at Rihanna’s Los Angeles home.
While at the 12th Annual Better Brothers Los Angeles Truth Awards on Saturday, The Don Lemon Show host claimed to TMZ that he was supposed to be in the singer’s Beverly Hills neighborhood on the day shots were fired at her house.
“I have a friend that lives very near Rihanna and I could’ve been there because I was here in L.A. and we were supposed to stay with that friend, and it was frightening,” the former celebrity.land host said. “And I remember the friend actually had damage to her house. So, it’s frightening. It’s really scary.”
Regarding why he ended up not being there, Lemon said, “It just so happened it was the day of the L.A. Marathon and we were going to go visit her, but we couldn’t get a car… and we went to the airport early.”
Lemon added that he’s “glad [Rihanna] is OK” after what happened.
“Life is really precious and you never know, so you need to celebrate every day,” he told TMZ.
A police officer is seen outside Rihanna’s Beverly Hills home after a report of gunshots on March 8, 2026
Credit: DUTCH/Bauer-Griffin/GC
A representative for the Los Angeles Police Department confirmed to Entertainment Weekly on March 8 that a number of shots were fired from a car toward the “Diamonds” singer’s home on the 9500 block of Heather Rd. in the Beverly Crest section of the wealthy Los Angeles enclave.
The incident occurred around 1:20 p.m., LAPD said. The shots were fired toward the gate of her home before the suspect was taken into custody. Rihanna, A$AP Rocky, their three kids and her mother were home at the time, according to the Associated Press, but neither she nor anyone at the residence was harmed.
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The suspect taken into custody was a 35-year-old woman from Florida, Ivanna Lisette Ortiz. She was charged with one count of attempted murder and 10 counts of assault on a person with a semiautomatic firearm, court records showed. According to AP, she also was charged with three counts of shooting at an inhabited vehicle or dwelling. All 14 counts are felonies.
The suspect allegedly shot seven to nine rounds from an AR-15-style semi-automatic rifle, NBC4 Los Angeles reported at the time. At least two other homes on the block were struck by gunfire, as well, according to ABC7 Eyewtiness News.
Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly
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