On October 15, 2024, Jake E. Lee (Ozzy Osbourne, Badlands, Red Dragon Cartel) was shot multiple times in a Las Vegas, NV street shooting. The legendary rock guitarist issued the following update earlier today (Saturday, November 30):
"Feels like I need to clarify the events leading to the shooting. Coco and I were walking home from our walk. Spotted two, gentlemen, dressed in black, hoodies pulled down low, face masks covering their mouths, in a driveway checking out a motorcycle. They saw us coming up on them and exited the driveway and quickly walked down the street. The same direction we were headed. They kept checking over their shoulders at us. Coco did not like them and was pulling hard on the leash towards them but I pulled back and kept it at a steady pace. They stopped to face us. I stopped about six feet shy of them, holding Coco tight to me. One of them said “You need to quit following us and turn around and F*** off.” I replied “We’re not following you, we’re going home. You don’t belong here, you’re the ones that should F••• off”. They kept nervously looking at Coco, obviously more intimidated by an 80 lb. pitbull than an old guy in a bright Hawaiian shirt! And I love how Coco handles strangers. He’s not aggressive but he’s not friendly. He just stands at attention and stares at them. Anyway, after some macho back and forth (I could just tell they were teenagers trying to act tough and getting upset that I wasn’t the least bit intimidated), I suggested Coco and I continue on home, they turn around and leave the way they came and we call it a night. I never saw a gun. So we started walking, which brings us to my previous text, Part 1, guess we can call this the prologue.
Here’s a tease to Part 2, a couple pictures of my left side, two days after, when I was still in the ICU."
Jake's previous post, dated November 28, reads:
"Hope everyone’s enjoying their Thanksgiving. 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. And you might find parts of it interesting! At first it seemed too daunting but then I realized I can do it in parts. Like this:
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. Don’t really have pics of my arm so you get another Coco pic!"
Jake E. Lee's previous update was posted on October 30 and reads:
"Hi, been two weeks so I feel I should post something. I’m on the mend, no complications so far. Can’t put any weight on my foot for another month, so I have a knee scooter for around the house. More fun than the walker. No updates from the detectives on the case. I will address the time of day I was walking my pup at, to fill some space in this post. 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° during the day, walking Coco in the early morning can still be over 100°. So we walk when it’s coolest, and have for the last two years without mishap, until recently. Nothing nefarious. Ok, now what you’ve been waiting for, another Coco pic!"
Jake's daughter, Jade, recently shared a photo of her and her father, the first of Jake since the shooting. See Jade's Facebook post below:
An update from Jake, posted on October 20 reads:
"Thank you again for all your concern. A quick update: back home recuperating. A big thanks to those at Sunrise Hospital for taking such good care of me. And some brief details about that night. Walking home from our walk Coco and I crossed paths with a couple of thieves. Dressed darkly, hoodies pulled down their faces and masks covering their mouths. 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. I’ll probably talk in more detail about it later but right now I can only comfortably do a little at a time. Let me look for another cute pic of Coco!"
Just after the shooting incident, Jake posted:
"Checking. Is this on? Been awhile since I posted here. Let’s see:
I deeply appreciate all the concern and well wishes. Makes everything going on a little better. To clarify, I was shot three times. I was on my way back home from walking my dog Coco (I didn’t name him so don’t!) Don’t want to go into details now, I’m tired, but I feel relatively very lucky. 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. Priority now is to keep draining my lung till it’s done crying. Then we can pull that tube out and concentrate on the more minor injuries. And by the way, Coco’s fine and appreciates your inquiries!"
Police released a statement regarding the shooting, which occurred early morning on October 15.
The statement reads: "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."
In a statement to TMZ, Ozzy Osbourne said, “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.”
Lee played with Ozzy from 1983-1987 and was featured on the albums Bark At The Moon and The Ultimate Sin.
