Jake E. Lee describes his shooting in Las Vegas

Former Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Jake E. Lee has gone into more detail about the incident in October that left him with multiple bullet wounds. Lee was shot three times in the episode, which saw him admitted into intensive care at a Las Vegas hospital.

"I’ve been debating on publicly talking about getting shot and have decided that it would probably be good for me," writes Lee, posting on the Red Dragon Cartel Facebook page. "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 realised 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 I 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.

Lee signed off by saying that he'd reveal more in a second post and apologising for not sharing pictures of his wounds. He did, however, share a picture of Coco.

Lee is expected to make a full recovery, although he has other battles to fight. Earlier this year he told Tone Talk that he is currently experiencing health issues and that – after initially being diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome – doctors told him he had very little cartilage left in his hands. Lee is receiving cortisone injections to be able to perform.

"I am playing again – I have been for about two months maybe – and I wanna go out and do a tour," he said. "I wanna finish doing the Patina tour, which got cancelled because of covid."

Online Editor at Louder/Classic Rock magazine since 2014. 40 years in music industry, online for 27. Also bylines for: Metal Hammer, Prog Magazine, The Word Magazine, The Guardian, The New Statesman, Saga, Music365. Former Head of Music at Xfm Radio, A&R at Fiction Records, early blogger, ex-roadie, published author. Once appeared in a Cure video dressed as a cowboy, and thinks any situation can be improved by the introduction of cats. Favourite Serbian trumpeter: Dejan Petrović.