Jewish best-selling author, adoption advocate, performer and blogger Jillian Lauren was shot on Tuesday afternoon, Apr. 8, by Los Angeles police and accused of attempted murder.
Authorities said she pointed a gun at officers while they searched for hit-and-run suspects in the Eagle Rock neighborhood of Los Angeles.
Lauren, 51, is the wife of Scott Shriner, bass player for the popular rock band Weezer. She was taken to a nearby hospital with non-life-threatening wounds and booked while hospitalized.
She was released hours later on $1 million bond. Her next hearing is scheduled for Apr. 30.
At the time of the shooting, police were searching for three hit-and-run suspects involved in a car crash on a nearby freeway. The suspects ran into the Eagle Rock neighborhood, where the Shriners live.
One of the suspects was found, arrested and released, while the other two remain at large.
At a press conference, L.A. Detective Meghan E. Aguilar said it was unclear from a police body-cam video what transpired before the shooting and if Lauren fired at officers from her backyard.
“At that point there were some commands given, multiple commands to drop the gun, drop the weapon,” Aguilar said. “Unfortunately, it did result in an officer-involved shooting.”
Police said they will review videos and seek additional camera footage from the area.
Authorities found a 9-millimeter handgun in Lauren’s home, the department said.
Neither Lauren nor her press representative responded to media requests for comment.
The adopted daughter of a Jewish stockbroker and housewife who grew up in Livingston, New Jersey, Lauren is author of the memoir “Some Girls: My Life in a Harem,” (Plume/Penguin) about her experiences as a paid female “guest” of Prince Jefri Bolkiah, youngest brother of the sultan of Brunei, between 1992 and 1995. The book has so far been translated into 18 languages.
The Shriners, who have been married for 19 years, have two adopted children.
Lauren is also the author of several other books, including “Behold the Monster: Confronting America’s Most Prolific Serial Killer” (Sourcebooks) and “Everything You Ever Wanted” (Penguin).
In a 2015 interview with the Rage Against the Minivan website, Lauren spoke about the role that Judaism plays in her life.
“I’m deeply engaged with my faith. I have a strong and daily relationship with God through prayer, my writing and, hopefully, my actions in the world,” she said. “As a family, our spiritual life is something of a patchwork quilt. I’m Jewish. My husband is Christian. … My son has such a wealth of possibilities in this world open to him. He’s an immigrant. He’s Ethiopian. He’s a California kid. He’s a black kid with white parents. He’s Jewish. He’s Christian. I think it all adds to the richness of his identity and his world.”
Weezer is best known for the hits “Buddy Holly,” “Beverly Hills” and “Undone–The Sweater Song.”
Information for this article was culled from several media sources.
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