Photo: Ethan Miller
In her first public comments since being shot by Los Angeles police earlier this year, author Jillian Lauren-Shriner— wife of Weezer bassist Scott Shriner—says she acted out of fear and instinct during what she describes as a moment of self-defense.
Lauren-Shriner spoke with Rolling Stone about the April incident, which unfolded after officers from the Los Angeles Police Department entered her neighborhood while searching for suspects in a hit-and-run investigation. According to police, officers encountered Lauren-Shriner in her backyard, where they say she fired a weapon toward them, prompting officers to return fire and strike her in the arm.
Lauren-Shriner disputes that characterization, saying she believed she was protecting her family amid confusion and chaos. While she declined to discuss specific details due to ongoing legal proceedings, she described the incident as a life-altering trauma.
Initially booked on suspicion of attempted murder, Lauren-Shriner now faces two felony charges—discharging a firearm with gross negligence and assault with a semiautomatic firearm—to which she has pleaded not guilty. A judge later deemed her eligible for a two-year mental health diversion program that includes counseling and monitoring and is expected to result in dismissal of the charges if completed successfully.
In the aftermath, Lauren-Shriner says her personal life unraveled rapidly. Earlier this month, she filed for divorce from Scott Shriner after two decades of marriage. She told Rolling Stone the couple had been growing apart for years, with the police shooting pushing their relationship into crisis. The two share two adopted children.
Lauren-Shriner, whose work often draws from her personal experiences, said she initially believed she would never write about the incident. Time spent in jail following her arrest, however, led her to reconsider. She recalled focusing on graffiti inside her cell as a way to mentally escape the situation—an experience that reignited her instinct to process trauma through writing.
Known for memoirs including Some Girls: My Life in a Harem, which recounts her experience in the Prince of Brunei’s harem, and Everything You Ever Wanted, Lauren-Shriner said the mental health diversion ruling carried its own stigma—but also an opportunity. As a survivor of sex trafficking and domestic violence, she said she hopes speaking openly about mental health can help normalize conversations often avoided.
Despite the divorce, Lauren-Shriner emphasized that she and Shriner continue to share mutual respect and pride in the family they built together.