Firearms Owners Against Crime
Institute for Legal, Legislative and Educational Action
Institute for Legal, Legislative and Educational Action
Pierce County prosecutors decided Thursday not to charge former Seattle Sonics star Shawn Kemp pending further investigation by Tacoma police into a shooting reported Wednesday near the Tacoma Mall.
Kemp’s attorneys said Thursday that he fired in self-defense. No injuries were reported.
The six-time All-Star, who was booked into the Pierce County Jail just before 6 p.m. Wednesday on investigation of drive-by shooting, was released at 1 p.m. Thursday, jail records show.
Under Washington law, people booked into jail must be released if prosecutors do not file charges within 72 hours, not counting weekends or holidays. Prosecutors are ethically bound not to file charges unless they believe they have evidence to prove a charge to a jury beyond a reasonable doubt.
Tacoma police responded to a report of gunfire in a parking lot on South Steele Street, according to a police tweet, near the Tacoma Mall just before 2 p.m. Wednesday. Officers determined there had been an altercation between people in two vehicles: One of the drivers fired several rounds at people in the other vehicle, which left the scene.
Officers found and arrested a 53-year-old man who police said fired the shots, and they recovered a firearm, police said. A Pierce County Sheriff’s spokesperson later confirmed that the man arrested was Kemp.
Kemp’s personal attorney, W. Scott Boatman, said in a statement on Twitter Thursday that Kemp’s vehicle had been broken into late Tuesday and he tracked his stolen iPhone to an occupied vehicle in the parking lot.
“When Mr. Kemp approached the vehicle in an attempt to retrieve his stolen property, individuals inside the vehicle shot at Mr. Kemp, who then returned fire in self-defense,” Boatman said in the statement. “There was not a drive-by shooting as previously reported and Mr. Kemp’s actions were reasonable and legally justified.”
Kemp has since retained Seattle criminal defense attorneys Tim Leary and Aaron Kiviat to represent him.
The attorneys met with him Thursday before learning prosecutors would not file charges immediately.
“Mr. Kemp is a pillar of the community and he’s not going anywhere,” Kiviat said by phone, indicating Kemp is not a flight risk.
“He was the one who stuck around and spoke with police while the other individuals fled,” said Leary, who added he’s grateful prosecutors are taking the time to consider all the facts of the case.
Kemp, who has no significant criminal history, was a major part of the Sonics’ successful run in the 1990s.
He debuted in the NBA during the 1989-90 season as a 20-year-old who had never played college basketball. The first-round draft pick in the 1989 NBA draft, he quickly became known for his athletic dunks.
Kemp teamed with point guard Gary Payton to form one of the league’s top duos. They led the Sonics to the NBA Finals in 1996, where they lost to the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls.
Unhappy with his contract situation, he forced a trade out of Seattle after the 1996-97 season and landed in Cleveland.
He was traded to Portland in 2000 and played three more seasons.
In 2020, he opened a cannabis dispensary in Seattle’s Belltown, Shawn Kemp’s Cannabis. He opened a second shop last month in Sodo.