Jillian Lauren, the wife of Weezer bassist Scott Shriner, has spoken publicly for the first time since being shot by Los Angeles police during a dramatic standoff in her own backyard earlier this year.
A World Shattered in a Heartbeat
In an emotional interview with Rolling Stone, the 52-year-old author described the moment her life unravelled. "My world fell to pieces around me in a heartbeat," Lauren revealed. She used a powerful analogy to explain her current state, saying, "You spend your whole life just getting an entire deck of cards in order. And just take them and throw them up in the air one day, and I'm still waiting to see how they're gonna land."
The incident on April 9 saw Lauren shot in the arm and subsequently arrested on suspicion of attempted murder. Police claimed she pointed a weapon and fired at officers who were in her garden searching for a hit-and-run suspect. That suspect had allegedly stripped to his boxers and jumped into a neighbour's pool to evade capture.
Trauma, PTSD, and a Path to Recovery
Lauren, a survivor of sex trafficking and domestic violence, said the confrontation with police triggered her post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), forcing her to revisit "trauma from a long time ago." While she stated she could not comment extensively on the ongoing case, she admitted her "impulse was self-defense" and that she believed she was "doing the best I knew to protect my family."
Following the shooting, Lauren was treated for a non-life-threatening injury, booked into jail, and later freed on $1 million bail. A 9mm firearm was seized from her home. The Los Angeles District Attorney, Nathan Hochman, charged her with two felonies: assault with a semiautomatic firearm and discharge of a firearm with gross negligence.
In a significant legal development, Lauren has since been granted entry into a two-year mental health diversion program. If she completes this programme successfully, the serious gun charges against her will be dismissed by the court.
Navigating a 'Painful' Divorce and Health Battles
Compounding the crisis, Lauren filed for divorce from Scott Shriner on December 5, citing irreconcilable differences. The couple, who married in 2005, share two adopted children, aged 17 and 13. Lauren is seeking joint custody, spousal support, and aims to prevent Shriner from receiving any support from her.
She described the media coverage of the divorce as "hurtful," leading her to spend a "day under the covers, blocking out the noise." Despite the split, she called Shriner her "best friend," noting, "We still have beautiful kids together and have always really supported each other in our various transformations."
In a further layer of personal struggle, Lauren revealed just weeks before the police incident that she was battling cancer. She shared the diagnosis on Instagram in March but has not disclosed the specific type, posting a photo of herself giving a thumbs-up from a hospital bed.
Now, the bestselling author says she is focused on becoming her "best self" as she navigates the aftermath of the shooting, her divorce proceedings, and her health challenges.
