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“I Don’t Think She Knew What Was About To Happen When She Pulled That Trigger”: Country Icon Says He’s Never Believed His Ex-Wife Meant To Shoot Him
Country singer Trace Adkins has once again addressed being shot by his then-wife Julie Lauren Curtis in 1994, saying he has never believed she intended to kill him. Speaking on the podcast This Past Weekend with Theo Von, Adkins suggested Curtis, who he said had little familiarity with firearms, may not have understood what the gun would do when she fired it. The story matters as a rare, candid account from a well-known artist of surviving a near-fatal domestic shooting, and one he has notably chosen never to turn into a song.
Adkins was shot with a .38 special following an argument fuelled by his drinking, with the bullet passing straight through his heart and both lungs; doctors told him he survived only because it struck at point-blank, muzzle velocity and passed through cleanly rather than expanding. He recalled his body going numb with pressure rather than pain, and said he'd never seen Curtis handle or fire a gun before, speculating she may have believed it was a toy. While he maintains it wasn't an intentional killing, he said the incident "took it a little far" when the couple could simply have separated instead.
In short
- Trace Adkins says ex-wife didn't mean to shoot him in 1994.
- Bullet passed through his heart and lungs at close range.
- He believes she may not have understood the gun's danger.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Adkins, as the survivor and the only person present, has had decades to reflect on Curtis's state of mind with intimate knowledge we lack. Her documented unfamiliarity with firearms makes his interpretation reasonable—that she may not have grasped the gun's lethality. His consistent choice not to pursue this legally, dramatise it in his art, or harbour obvious resentment suggests serious reflection rather than mere forgiveness. The moral distinction between a desperate, terrible act and premeditated murder matters, and his evidence supports a reading where Curtis acted dangerously without understanding the consequences.
The case against
The act of deliberately pulling the trigger whilst pointing a loaded gun at another person in an argument betrays clear intent to cause serious harm, regardless of the shooter's technical knowledge of ballistics. Interpreting Curtis's actions charitably based on speculation about her understanding of weapons risks minimising a deliberate act of violence, particularly in domestic contexts where such leniency is concerning. That she may not have intended death specifically does not mean she did not intend the harm that shooting causes, and accepting this distinction without scrutiny could set problematic precedent for how we judge accountability in shooting incidents.
Explained simply
Trace Adkins is a country music recording artist who was shot by his then-wife Julie Lauren Curtis in 1994 during a domestic incident. The shooting occurred after an argument involving his drinking, and the bullet passed through his heart and both lungs; he survived only because the close-range shot passed cleanly through his body rather than expanding inside him.
Curtis was unfamiliar with firearms and had never been seen handling a gun before the incident. Adkins has never believed the shooting was intentional and has speculated that she may not have understood what would happen when the gun was fired, possibly thinking it was a toy.
The incident is notable as a rare documented account of a prominent musician surviving a near-fatal domestic shooting. Adkins has notably chosen not to record a song about the experience.