Best-selling author and wife of Weezer bassist fired at police, authorities say
A best-selling author who was shot by police allegedly fired at officers as they searched for multiple hit-and-run suspects in her residential Los Angeles neighborhood, a police official said Thursday.
An investigation revealed shell casing and video footage showed Jillian Lauren Shriner repeatedly ignoring police commands to disarm during an encounter Wednesday and firing her weapon, Los Angeles Police Department communications director Jennifer Forkish said in a statement.
She was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries and booked on a charge of attempted murder. Jail records show she was released on bond Wednesday night.
No one else was injured in the incident.
Shriner, 51, is married to Weezer bassist Scott Shriner and is a journalist and author of several books, including “Behold the Monster: Confronting America’s Most Prolific Serial Killer.”
She did not respond to a request for comment. Her manager declined to comment.
A representative for Shriner has not responded to a request for comment.
A source close to Weezer told NBC News that the band plans on playing at Coachella music festival this weekend. It isn’t clear if Scott Shriner will play during the appearance.
Authorities said the confrontation occurred Wednesday afternoon in Los Angeles’ Eagle Rock neighborhood after three suspects in a hit-and-run on a nearby freeway ditched their vehicle and ran into the residential area.
California Highway Patrol had sought help from the Los Angeles Police Department to find the suspects. When officers were directed to the backyard of a home where one of the suspects was seen, they saw Shriner armed with a handgun in a neighboring yard, the department said in a news release.
“The officers ordered Shriner to drop the handgun numerous times,” the department said. “However, she refused. Shriner then pointed the handgun at the officers.”
Forkish did not provide additional details about whether the footage indicated Shriner said anything before allegedly opening fire.
In the news release, the department said that Shriner was not involved in the hit-and-run and that she was in the backyard of her home when authorities ordered her to drop her gun.
After Shriner was struck by gunfire, she ran into her house, the department said. She was later taken into custody and hospitalized. A 9 mm. gun was found during a search of Shriner’s home, according to the release.
One of the hit-and-run suspects was found, cited and released, the department said. The other two were not.
