According
to police records, former Seattle SuperSonics basketball player Shawn Kemp is
facing a felony criminal charge after a shooting involving two vehicles took
place in Tacoma, Washington on Wednesday. While no one was hurt in the
incident, the formal charge against Kemp, who is 53 years old, accuses him of a
drive-by shooting. However, people close to Kemp have said that the case was
one of self-defense after Kemp tracked a stolen iPhone to confront someone. An
altercation took place in a parking lot that escalated into shots being fired.
The police arrested one man at the scene, but did not name Kemp in its
announcement. Online records show that Kemp was booked into the Pierce County
Jail shortly after the police report on a felony charge of drive-by shooting.
The incident took place at a parking lot in the 4500 block of South Steele
Street, which corresponds to the Tacoma Mall shopping center. Local TV station
FOX 13 reports that its sources say that Kemp had property stolen from his car
on Tuesday, tracked his iPhone to Tacoma on Wednesday, and when he approached
the vehicle, a suspect shot at him. Kemp fired back in self-defense, according
to the report. Under Washington state law, the crime of drive-by shooting
applies to anyone who fires a gun either directly from a vehicle or from
"the immediate area of a motor vehicle that was used to transport the
shooter or the firearm, or both, to the scene of the discharge," creating
"a substantial risk of death or serious physical injury." Kemp, who
was famously known as "the Reign Man," was a six-time NBA All-Star
during his career, with most of those appearances coming during his stint with
the Seattle SuperSonics. Although the franchise moved to Oklahoma City
approximately a decade after Seattle traded Kemp to the Cleveland Cavaliers, he
has remained active in Seattle, attending sporting events and launching
business ventures. He recently opened his second cannabis store in the city.
The Tacoma Police Department has stated that its investigation is ongoing.
