Former NBA star Shawn Kemp released after drive-by shooting arrest
Retired NBA All-Star Shawn Kemp was released Thursday from a jail in Washington state and wasn’t immediately charged following his arrest on suspicion of a drive-by shooting felony, officials said.
Kemp, who played eight of his 14 seasons with the Seattle SuperSonics, was released around 1 p.m. local time after prosecutors declined to file charges, pending a further investigation, the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office confirmed.
“They still can decide to charge him later,” a spokesman for the sheriff’s office told the Daily News.
Kemp, 53, 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.”
A lawyer for Kemp says he fired the weapon in self-defense after someone shot at him. The lawyer claims an iPhone and other items were stolen from Kemp’s car Tuesday, and that the confrontation occurred when the retired athlete tracked the phone.
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.
With News Wire Services
()