Wife of Weezer bassist Scott Shriner seen holding and “firing” gun in video released by LAPD

Footage of Weezer bassist Scott Shriner’s wife holding and “firing” a gun has been released by the LAPD following her recent arrest.

Jillian Shriner, who is an author who publishes under the pen name Jillian Lauren and is also the wife of bassist Shriner, was taken into custody in Los Angeles on April 8 after sustaining a non-life-threatening gunshot wound from a police officer.

A statement from the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) later revealed officers were pursuing an unrelated hit-and-run car chase when one of the suspects tried to enter Shriner’s property.

Shriner is said to have fired at the suspect and then pointed her gun at officers and refused to lower it when asked. An “officer-involved shooting” then occurred, with Shriner being shot in the shoulder by an officer.

Shriner fled to her own home, but was later taken to the hospital for treatment and then into custody. She was subsequently “booked for attempted murder”, LAPD confirmed. A 9mm handgun was then recovered from her house.

Now, two weeks after the incident, the LAPD have released bodycam and security video footage that appears to show Lauren racking and firing a gun while standing in her backyard.

In the montage of multiple bodycam video recordings uploaded to YouTube yesterday (April 25), multiple officers are heard yelling repeatedly at a woman identified by the LAPD as Lauren. They’re standing behind a fence, so the woman is not visible at the height of the chest-level video.

The officers shout at the woman to drop her gun multiple times. Toward the end of the exchange, one officer identifies himself as “police” while another says that he’s with the California Highway Patrol.

A separate video from Lauren’s home surveillance system shows her exiting her house holding a black handgun and walking around the perimeter. The video then appears to show her manipulating and firing the gun, but it’s recorded from a distance and is soundless.

After what appears to be a slight recoil, Lauren walks away. According to the police body-worn footage, an officer then said, “Oh, she racked it,” before police opened fire.

The 22-minute video is described by the LAPD as the state of evidence so far in the case, which remains under investigation. The incident happened around 3:55pm on April 8, according to the LAPD. Officers flooded Lauren’s neighbourhood while searching for several hit-and-run suspects who fled a nearby traffic accident and were thought to be hiding in yards.

About an hour after the shooting, Lauren exited her home and was arrested without incident, police said. She was taken to a hospital for treatment of her non-life-threatening gunshot wound on her arm. She was later booked in absentia on suspicion of attempted murder. Reports claimed she later posted bail for US $1million and has since been released from custody, with a court date set for April 30, per Rolling Stone.

“While in the rear yard of [one] residence, the officers saw a woman in an adjacent rear yard, armed with a handgun,” LAPD Commander Alex Chogyoji says in the video. He refers to Lauren by her married name, Shriner, though she is known professionally by Lauren.

“The officers gave Shriner repeated verbal commands to drop the handgun, however, she did not comply,” Chogyoji says. “Moments later, Shriner racked the handgun, pointed it at the officers and fired, resulting in an officer involved shooting.”

Chogyoji says investigators recovered a 9mm Glock handgun and a spent shell casing from the residence. The YouTube video also includes multiple 911 calls related to the incident. One appears to be from someone who was in the home with Lauren after she was shot.

The individual tells the operator that Lauren was shot by someone amid a police manhunt. Lauren is heard talking in the background, explaining what happened. “I had my gun, and he said, ‘Put down that gun. Put down that gun.’ I said, ‘Put down your fucking gun.’ And then he shot me,” Lauren says. “There are three men out at the other side of this fence here.”

Following the news breaking, Weezer played a set at Coachella Festival, after being added to the line-up last minute the week prior. They did not address the incident during their performance.

Shriner did comment on the situation ahead of their performance, in the process confirming on his own that he and Weezer would still be performing at the Californian festival. “She’s alright, thank you for asking,” the bassist said, and declined to go into further details about his wife’s situation. “See you at Coachella,” he added.

In other Weezer news, during their Coachella set, the band announced an upcoming Weezer movie.

Journalist Jeff Sneider revealed that the movie would be a documentary, with Keanu Reeves playing the villain, and pitched as a mix of Scott Pilgrim vs. The World and Weird: The Al Yankovic Story.

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