Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Jake E. Lee reveals injury sustained from shooting incident
Former Ozzy Osbourne heavy metal guitarist Jake E. Lee has shared further details about a shooting incident he was involved in October.
Jake E. Lee was shot multiple times in Las Vegas on October 15, but it was soon confirmed that he was going to make a full recovery. At the time, no information was shared about the incident, with local authorities believing the shooting to be a random act.
The rock guitarist shared that it stemmed from “a verbal confrontation” with “a couple of thieves” dressed in hoodies and masks, allegedly standing by his neighbor’s driveway. After words were exchanged, he thought things had simmered down. “That didn’t work out,” he added.
On Thanksgiving (November 28), Lee shared a picture of his dog Coco on Facebook with further details about the incident, stating that “by documenting it I can more easily put it behind me”.
He revealed that, after walking away, he heard shots when they “were about 50ft apart”.
“I quickly realized he wasn’t aiming at me. He was aiming at my dog!” he wrote. “I threw my end of the leash at Coco and yelled to go home. He did. He’s a good boy.”
He detailed that the injuries he sustained from the incident included a shot to his left forearm “an inch below the elbow”, which he said “felt like a burn”.
“Fortunately it missed any bones, and my elbow joint, and has healed remarkably quickly. The scars aren’t much bigger or darker than some of my age spots and I’d probably have to point them out for you to notice. All the fingers still move well. Initially lost the feeling on the back of my hand but it has been slowly coming back.”
Jake concluded: “I am most thankful my dog wasn’t hurt, and also the damage to my fretting arm was minimal,” adding that he will share about the other wounds he sustained in a future post.
A few days after the shooting, Lee confirmed that he had been shot three times, though the assailant fired all 15 bullets at him:
“The police found 15 shell casings at the scene which means he emptied his clip on me. I could only dodge so many so one bullet went through my forearm, one through my foot, and one in the back which broke a rib and damaged a lung.”
Shortly after news of the shooting went public, Ozzy Osbourne commented on the incident:
“It’s been 37 years since I’ve seen Jake E. Lee, but that still doesn’t take away from the shock of hearing what happened to him today. It’s just another senseless act of gun violence. I send my thoughts to him and his beautiful daughter, Jade. I just hope he’ll be OK.”
A spokesperson for the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department had earlier confirmed that “no arrests [had] been made” at the time.
The guitarist performed in Ozzy Osbourne’s solo band between 1982 and 1987, contributing to his albums ‘Bark At The Moon’ (1983) and ‘The Ultimate Sin’ (1986). He also joined the Prince Of Darkness on numerous tours.
Later Jake E. Lee joined heavy metal band Badlands with former Black Sabbath member Ray Gillen. In 2013, he formed the group Red Dragon Cartel. Additionally, Lee has released music as a solo artist including his debut album, 1996’s ‘A Fine Pink Mist’.
