Former NBA star Shawn Kemp to be released after drive-by shooting arrest
Retired NBA All-Star Shawn Kemp won’t be charged, pending a further police investigation, following his arrest on suspicion of a drive-by shooting felony, officials said Thursday.
Kemp is expected to be released from jail Thursday, the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to Seattle news station KIRO. The sheriff’s office did not immediately respond to a Daily News request for comment.
Kemp, who played eight of his 14 seasons with the Seattle SuperSonics, was booked at a Pierce County jail just before 6 p.m. local time Wednesday, hours after police say they responded to a report of shots fired at the Tacoma Mall in Tacoma, Wash.
“Responding officers determined an altercation had occurred between two parties in vehicles,” the Tacoma Police Department said. “One of the drivers fired off several rounds at the occupants of the other vehicle. The victim vehicle fled the area.”
No injuries were reported.
“Officers located the suspect who had fired off the shots on Tacoma Mall property and detained him without incident,” police said. “A firearm was recovered from the scene.”
Kemp, 53, has not publicly commented, but sources close to him claim he fired a gun in self-defense, according to the Tacoma news station KCPQ. The sources claim Kemp tracked items stolen from his car to Tacoma and that someone else shot at him before he opened fire.
Cellphone video published by the TV outlet shows a man in a red vest raising his arms in what appears to be a mall parking lot.
The SuperSonics, who became the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2008, drafted Kemp in the first round of the 1989 NBA Draft. Kemp also played for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Portland Trail Blazers and Orlando Magic, averaging 14.6 points and 8.4 rebounds per game across 14 NBA seasons.
Kemp, who retired in 2003, was previously arrested on drug charges in 2005 and 2006. He now runs a pair of cannabis dispensaries in the Seattle area.
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