Ex-NBA star Shawn Kemp was booked into the Pierce County Jail on Wednesday (March 8) following an alleged drive-by shooting in Washington.
Tacoma Police Department reports the former Seattle SuperSonics star was involved in “an altercation” with the occupant of another car at around 1:58 pm, which led to shots being fired in a parking lot.
“At 1:58 pm, an altercation between the occupants of 2 cars led to shots being fired at a parking lot in the 4500 blk of S. Steele St,” the statement from Tacoma PD read.
The police statement adds, one car fled the scene and a gun was recovered. No injuries were reported.
The footage of the alleged incident shows Kemp, 53 waving what appears to be a gun in his left hand while engaged in a verbal dispute with another individual in a Tacoma Mall parking lot. Kemp, who was wearing a red vest yells something before pulling the trigger at least once.
Sources close to Kemp told FOX 13‘s David Rose that the shooting was in self-defense. The source claims Kemp had property stolen from his car on Tuesday, and was able to track his iPhone to Tacoma Shopping Mall on Wednesday. When he approached the vehicle, a suspect shot at him and he fired back in self defense.
The 6-time All-Star was booked for felony drive-by shooting at 5:58 PM and is still in custody according to Pierce County Corrections records.
Kemp was a first-round draft pick in the 1989 NBA draft. He played with the Seattle SuperSonics from 1989 to 1997 and helped the Sonics reach the NBA Finals in 1996, where they lost to Michael Jordan’s Bulls. He also starred in multiple All-Star teams as a member of the Cavaliers and Trail Blazers before concluding his career with the Magic.
Since his retirement from professional basketball, Kemp has pursued multiple local business opportunities banking on his Sonics career.
He was arrested in 2005 in Washington for investigation of drug possession and in 2006 in another drug investigation in Houston, Texas.
Information from TMZ and FOX 13 contributed to this report.
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