Guitarist Jake E. Lee, who was shot several times while walking his dog on Tuesday near his home in Las Vegas, feels “relatively very lucky” to have survived the shooting, which broke his rib and damaged his lung.
The Red Dragon Cartel rocker addressed fans directly on Thursday, posting his first update about the incident on his band's Facebook page. He told fans how much he appreciates their concern and well wishes: “It makes everything go a little better. “
“To clarify, they shot me three times. I was coming home from walking my dog Coco (I didn't name her, so don't!). “I don't want to go into details now, I'm tired, but I feel relatively very lucky,” he said. , sharing a photo of your pet.
Lee, 67, said police found 15 shell casings at the scene, meaning the shooter “shot me.”
“I could only dodge so many bullets that one bullet went through my forearm, another went through my foot, and another in my back broke a rib and damaged a lung. The priority now is to continue draining my lungs until I stop crying. “Then we can take that tube out and focus on the minor injuries,” he said, adding that Coco is “doing well and appreciates your questions.”
Lee spokeswoman Amanda Cagan confirmed Tuesday that he was shot early that morning but was fully conscious and doing well in an intensive care unit at a Las Vegas hospital. Cagan said he is expected to make a full recovery from the “completely random” incident.
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said Tuesday that officers responded to a shooting at 2:42 a.m. in the 11000 block of Alora Street, about 10 miles south of the Las Vegas Strip. They said they found “a male victim suffering from apparent gunshot wounds” and he was transported to a hospital.
No arrests were made and the investigation is ongoing, the department said.
Lee was Ozzy Osbourne's lead guitarist from 1982 to 1987, when the famous Black Sabbath frontman pursued a solo career after being kicked out of his heavy metal group years earlier. Lee, however, was later unceremoniously fired from Osbourne's solo act. On Tuesday, Osbourne, who said he had not seen Lee in 37 years, was shocked by the shooting of his former bandmate.
“It's just another senseless act of gun violence,” Osbourne told TMZ. “Sending my thoughts to him and his beautiful daughter, Jade. “I just hope he's okay.”
Lee went on to play in Badlands with former Black Sabbath singer Ray Gillen in 1988. Then, after placing himself under “self-imposed exile” from the music industry and withdrawing from the public eye, he teamed up with bassist and producer Anthony Esposito. . drummer Phil Varone and singer Darren Smith to form the hard rock and blues band Red Dragon Cartel, which released their first album in 2014.
