On Friday, former NBA star Shawn Kemp was charged with first-degree assault in relation to a parking lot shooting that took place last month.
Prosecutors in Washington state said Kemp allegedly sent a text message that showed his intent to confront and shoot the person who allegedly stole his phone.
This shooting occurred outside the Tacoma Mall on March 8. Thankfully, no one was injured.
Kemp’s legal team said he would plead not guilty. They claim he returned fire in self defense after trying to retrieve the stolen cellphone.
“He is confident that once the jury hears from the witnesses and sees the evidence at trial, they will conclude that he was justified in defending himself that afternoon,” defense attorney Tim Leary said in a statement.
Former Sonics star Shawn Kemp has been charged with assault in first degree stemming from March incident when Kemp allegedly fired a handgun in parking lot of a Tacoma shopping mall. His lawyer Scott Boatman tells ESPN that Kemp will enter plea of not guilty in upcoming…
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 14, 2023
A probable cause statement by Tacoma police did not indicate that Kemp was shot at.
The document said Kemp told police that after being shot at he went back to his own vehicle, parked several spots away, to get his own gun. But the video showed that he was armed with the weapon when he approached the parked Toyota 4Runner where he had tracked his phone.
The Tacoma Police’s statement said Kemp fired three shots into the Toyota and then threw his gun into nearby bushes.
Kemp is due to be arraigned on May 4.
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