Former Seattle Supersonics forward and six-time NBA All-Star Shawn Kemp was arrested in Washington state on charges of a felony drive-by shooting. Charges have yet to be filed. Kemp’s lawyer says he fired in self-defense.
NBA superstar Shawn Kemp arrested in alleged drive-by shooting
Shawn Kemp, 53, was arrested in Washington state on charges of a felony drive-by shooting. No charges have been filed pending further investigation.
On Wednesday, March 8, 2023, officers responded to reports of shots fired just before 2 PM local time after an altercation between the occupants of two vehicles in Tacoma, the Tacoma Police Department said in a statement, NBC reported.
Footage of the incident later emerged and circulated on social media and was published by the New York Post.
A man wearing a red vest, alleged to be Kemp, is seen approaching a vehicle and pointing a firearm.
Allegations emerged that items had been stolen from Kemp earlier in the week, sources told Fox Seattle. Kemp operates two licensed cannabis stores in Seattle.
Officers later tracked down the suspected shooter and “detained him without incident,” according to a statement from the Tacoma Police Department. They also recovered a gun from the scene, People reported.
Attorney says incident was not a drive-by
In a written statement, Kemp’s attorney W. Scott Boatman explained what transpired, Boston.com reported.
Boatman said that on the previous night, Kemp’s vehicle was broken into Tuesday night and several items had been taken, including an iPhone. Kemp then tracked the phone’s location to an occupied car at the Tacoma Mall. When Kemp confronted the individuals inside, they shot at him, and he returned fire.
“There was not a drive-by shooting as previously reported and Mr. Kemp’s actions were reasonable and legally justified,” Boatman said in a statement. “Mr. Kemp met with law enforcement at the scene in an attempt to assist in the matter.”
No charges filed, pending further investigation
Kemp was released from jail the following day, with no charges filed, pending further investigation.
“We’re grateful they didn’t rush to judgment,” said Tim Leary, who is another attorney representing Kemp.
Kemp’s previous arrests
Kemp has had previous run-ins with the law, according to data on Wikipedia. On April 4, 2005, police in Shoreline, Washington, arrested Kemp on alleged drug possession charges after he and another man were found in possession of a small amount of cocaine, roughly 60 grams of marijuana, and a semiautomatic pistol, according to the King County Sheriff’s office. Kemp was formally charged with drug possession and pleaded guilty on April 29.
On July 21, 2006, Kemp was arrested for misdemeanor marijuana possession in Houston, Texas.
