ESPN News Services5:13 AM IST2 Minute Read
SEATTLE — Washington state prosecutors on Friday charged former NBA star Shawn Kemp with first-degree assault in a parking lot shooting last month over a stolen cellphone from the person who allegedly stole from him.
Kemp was arrested following the March 8 shooting outside the Tacoma Mall. No one was hurt and Kemp’s lawyers have insisted he returned fire in self-defense after trying to locate a cell phone that was stolen from him earlier that day.
In a written statement provided Friday by defense attorney Tim Leary, Kemp’s legal team said he would plead not guilty: “He is confident that once the jury hears from the witnesses and sees the evidence at trial, they will reach a conclusion that he was entitled to defended himself that afternoon.”
A Tacoma Police Department probable cause statement filed Friday in Pierce County Superior Court did not indicate that Kemp was shot. It said some of his statements were not corroborated by surveillance video and that the text message, sent just 13 minutes before he arrived at the mall, showed his intent.
According to the document, Kemp told police that after he was shot at, he returned to his own vehicle and parked several spots away to retrieve his own gun. But video showed he was armed with the gun as he approached the parked Toyota 4Runner where he had been tracking his phone.
According to the statement, Kemp tracked his phone to a Toyota 4Runner Sport-Utility vehicle parked near a JCPenney department store. He parked his own car, a Porsche, a few spots away, grabbed a pistol from a backpack, and approached the 4Runner, the statement said.
The statement said he shot the Toyota three times and then threw his gun into a bush. The driver of the 4Runner appeared to dodge one of the shots and eventually drove away, sources said. It took only about five minutes from the arrival of Kemp to the departure of the 4Runner.
The bullets that hit the 4Runner went through the front license plate bracket, the front quarter panel toward the steering wheel, and through the passenger door.
Kemp is scheduled to be charged on May 4th.
Kemp, who has two licensed cannabis stores in Seattle, was a six-time NBA All-Star and played for the Seattle SuperSonics from 1989-1997. He also played for Cleveland, Portland and Orlando.
Kemp made his NBA debut in the 1989-90 season as a 20-year-old who had never played college basketball. He became known for his high-flying dunks.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.