Body cam footage shows LAPD shooting Weezer bassist’s wife during tense confrontation

Newly-released body cam footage shows the tense moments before Jillian Shriner, 51, wife of Weezer bassist Scott Shriner, was shot by officers who were searching for hit-and-run suspects in Los Angeles.

On April 8, California Highway Patrol responded to a three-vehicle crash in which three male suspects fled the freeway on foot and into an Eagle Rock neighborhood near the 134 Freeway and Figueroa Street at 3:25 p.m.

CHP called the Los Angeles Police Department for backup. While officers were searching for a suspect in backyards on the 1200 block of Eagle Vista Drive, police said Shriner emerged from her home armed with a gun.  

Body cam footage shows officers standing behind a wooden fence surrounding Shriner’s backyard as they yell, “Ma’am, put the gun down! Drop the gun! It’s the police. Ma’am, we’re trying to help. Come out with your hands up! You’re going to get shot!”

The repeated warnings from officers were reportedly ignored by Shriner. At that point, officers said they believed Shriner was involved with the hit-and-run.

Security footage from inside Shriner’s backyard shows the woman racking a 9mm handgun, pointing it at the group of officers and opening fire, police said.

Officers responded by firing at least eight shots, hitting Shriner twice in the shoulder before she retreated into her home.

A 911 call revealed Shriner believed she was defending herself against the suspects who police were searching for.

An hour after the shooting, Shriner and another woman, reportedly her child’s babysitter, exited the home with their hands up. The women were ordered to walk down the driveway and told to lie down on the street as police took them into custody.  

Shriner was transported to the hospital where she was treated for non-life-threatening gunshot wounds.  

She was questioned and later booked on suspicion of attempted murder of a peace officer. The 9mm handgun allegedly used in the shooting was recovered from her home.

She was released from custody after posting bail and is scheduled to be back in court on April 30. 

The hit-and-run suspect being pursued by officers was later found and taken into custody that same day. Two other suspects involved in the crash remain at large.

“In the next several months, the LAPD will continue to investigate and analyze this incident,” police said. “We will continue interviewing any new witnesses that may come forward and complete any forensic tests. The board will evaluate the evidence to determine whether the officers’ tactics, drawing and exhibiting a weapon, and use of deadly force in this incident complied with LAPD policy.”

No officers or other community members were injured during the incident. The full body cam footage from LAPD can be seen here.

Shriner is a best-selling author of two memoirs. In 2021, she starred in the Starz docuseries “Confronting a Serial Killer,” which centers on serial killer Samuel Little. She also wrote a 2023 book profiling Little. Her husband, bassist Scott Shriner, has recorded 12 studio albums since joining Weezer in 2001.