JAKE E. LEE Offers More Details About Shooting That Left Him With Multiple Bullet Wounds

Former OZZY OSBOURNE guitarist Jake E. Lee has offered more details about last month's shooting which left him hit three times about 10 miles from the Las Vegas Strip. He was later taken to Sunrise Hospital & Medical Center's intensive care unit.

The 67-year-old musician took to his social media on Thursday (November 28) to write: “I've been debating on publicly talking about getting shot and have decided that it would probably be good for me. Somewhat therapeutic, and by documenting it I can more easily put it behind me. At first it seemed too daunting but then I realized I can do it in parts:

“We were about 50ft apart when I heard the shots. I quickly realized he wasn't aiming at me. He was aiming at my dog! I threw my end of the leash at Coco and yelled to go home. He did. He's a good boy.

“The first shot to hit me was in my left forearm. Entered about an inch below the elbow on the underside. Exited topside. It felt like a burn. Not particularly painful, just like a quick burning sensation. I thought it must have been a graze. 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.

“In the spirit of giving thanks, I am most thankful my dog ​​wasn't hurt, and also the damage to my fretting arm was minimal. Unlike the other wounds, which I'll get to in Part 2.”

Lee previously explained that he walked his dog in the middle of the night because “I'm a night owl, always have been. My wife works graveyard in a casino. 2-3 in the morning is the middle of the day for us! And during the summer, with temps 115-120° [Fahrenheit] during the day, walking Coco in the early morning it can still be over 100°. So we walk when it's coolest, and have for the last two years without mishap, until recently.”

In a separate post, he said that the shooting occurred after he “crossed paths with a couple of thieves” as he was returning home from walking his dog. They were “dressed darkly, hoodies pulled down their faces and masks covering their mouths,” he wrote. “Standing in a neighbor's driveway checking out his motorcycle. There was a verbal confrontation which ended with an agreement that I would walk one way and they would walk the opposite. That didn't work out.”

On October 17, Jake said in another social media post that “the police found 15 shell casings at the scene” where he was shot “which means [the shooter] 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.”

According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Lee was in his driveway about to walk his dog at about 2:40 am when he was shot in the forearm; in the back, with the bullet breaking a rib; and in the foot. None of the shots hit a vital organ. A neighbor heard the shots, hid his kids, grabbed a gun and called 911. Lee's dog was unharmed.

The Las Vegas Police Department later released a statement in which they said: “Officers responded to a shooting incident in the 11000 block of Alora Street. Officers arrived and located a male victim suffering from apparent gunshot wounds. The male was transported to the hospital. No arrests have been made at this time. This is an ongoing investigation.”

Leewho was tapped by Ozzy Osbourne to replace the late Randy Rhoads in the singer's solo band, played on two Ozzy records: 1983's “Bark At The Moon” and 1986's “The Ultimate Sin”.

In a statement to TMZ, Ozzy said: “It's been 37 years since I've seen Jake E. Leebut 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.”

Bret Michaels of POISON wrote on X (formerly Twitter),”To our friend Jake E. Lee — our thoughts, prayers and concerns go out to you, my friend, after hearing the news of you being shot in Las Vegas today. We are all pulling for you & hoping that you will have a speedy & incredible recovery.”

JOURNEY's Neal Schon also took to the social media platform. “Crazy world,” he wrote. “take care Jake.”

NIGHT RANGER's Brad Gilliswho also played guitar in Osbourne's band in the past, shared his own statement on X regarding the shooting. “I just heard about Jake E Lee. Glad to hear he is doing well,” he said. “My thoughts are with ya, buddy!”

After performing with Ozzy, Lee formed the hard rock band BADLANDS. He released the solo albums “Retraced” swear “Guitar Warrior” in 2005 and 2007, respectively. After a self-imposed exile from the music industry and the public eye, Lee returned with a new band called RED DRAGON CARTELreleasing a self-titled album in 2013 followed by “Patina” in 2018.