Shawn Kemp booked into Pierce County Jail for drive-by shooting investigation TACOMA, Wash. - Seattle SuperSonics legend Shawn Kemp was booked into the Pierce County Jail on Wednesday, FOX 13 News has learned. Sources close to Kemp say the shooting was in self-defense. Kemp was booked into jail in connection with a drive-by shooting outside the Tacoma Mall. The shooting call came into police just before 2 p.m. Shots were fired from a passing vehicle in the parking lot on the northeast side of the mall near the Courtesy Tire store. Police said nobody was hurt in the shooting, and that the suspect initially identified as a 53-year-old man was detained at the scene. Multiple sources confirm to FOX 13 News that Kemp is the suspect. Sources close to Kemp told FOX 13's David Rose that he 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. He fired back in self-defense. More information will be made available about the case on Thursday. Kemp is a 6-time NBA All-Star. He was a first-round draft pick in the 1989 NBA draft. From 1989 to 1997 he played 625 games with Seattle and helped the Sonics reach the NBA Finals in 1996. Kemp was arrested in 2005 in Shoreline for investigation of drug possession and in 2006 in another drug investigation in Texas. Since his retirement from professional basketball, Kemp has pursued multiple local business opportunities banking on his Sonics career. He and his business partners are operating two locations in Seattle of Shawn Kemp's Cannabis. The opening of the Belltown location marked the first black-owned marijuana dispensary in Seattle. Kemp was also the owner of Oskar’s Kitchen, a sports bar in Lower Queen Anne, that shuttered in 2015. In 2022, Kemp was part of the campaign to bring an NBA franchise back to Seattle, telling The Athletic he wouldn’t stop until the city got "the actual Sonics back." https://www.q13fox.com/news/suspect-arrested-after-drive-by-shooting-in-tacoma-mall-parking-lot
"Sources close to Kemp..." Not surprising that Kemp's friends or agent or lawyer are saying he's the victim and even if true, that video of him firing a gun in a crowded mall parking lot is pretty damning. It will be interesting to see if both parties are in jail or just Kemp.
Didn't look to me like he was returning fire. The filmer's reaction to the gunshot leads me to believe Kemp's shot was the first and only one fired. But that's just based on the two videos I've seen. I'd be curious to see if there is video surveillance in that parking lot...
Also if it's self defense he sure didn't look like it after the shot. He just kinda stood there. Wasn't scared or trying to get away.
Kemp is 53....he should know he could trace his phone and call the cops to deal with it. He didn't. Dumb fucking move by him.
I don't think the guy has 2 brain cells to rub together. The photo doesn't show any signs of hidden wits.
He claims self defense. He has the right to presumption of innocence and to raise this defense. But he claims his phone was stolen and when he tracked the alleged thief, the person pulled a gun. So he had to shoot. Has he heard of calling 911?
There are laws against vigilante justice but I don't know if there are any laws about tracking down your own missing or stolen property. I'm sure Kemp could say that he was trying to see if his property had been taken by one of his associates or not before involving the police. The fact is, if the guy Kemp shot at or shot had a gun on him and Kemp's property, this is going to be a hard case for the prosecution to try. There is a legal term called mens rea which just means state of mind but it basically means in a criminal trial where the evidence is questionable but the outcome isn't, the prosecution has to prove beyond a reasonable doubt the intent to commit a crime. If they have someone on record telling them that Kemp took his gun so he could shoot whoever took his shit, then they'll have a good chance but then Kemp's lawyers will try to impeach the credibility of the witness or have it stricken.
Ex-NBA star Shawn Kemp fired in self-defense after tracking stolen iPhone to Tacoma mall: lawyers TACOMA, Wash. - Former Seattle Sonic Shawn Kemp is a free man after spending a night in the jail in Tacoma. Initially arrested for investigation of a drive-by shooting, Kemp’s attorney tells FOX 13 that his client wasn’t involved in any drive-by shooting. According to Scott Boatman, Kemp had tracked down his stolen cell phone to the Tacoma Mall and returned fire when someone inside the vehicle fired at him upon approaching the vehicle. It’s unclear whether Kemp will face any charge at all. A spokesperson with the Pierce County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office said the case’s status is ‘no charges filed,’ pending further investigation by Tacoma Police. On Tuesday night, per Kemp’s attorney, Kemp’s vehicle was broken into. Sources tell FOX 13 that it’s the sixth time his vehicle had been broken into – the latest break-in involved his cell phone and an employees’ property being taken. In 9-1-1 dispatch audio first obtained by TMZ, you can hear someone say: "he’s tracking his phone," in reference to Kemp. Boatman, via written statement, said that Kemp helped law enforcement and was trying to assist after the shooting. Shortly after police and Kemp interacted, you hear someone radio officers on the scene telling them: "the guy in the red vest (Kemp) needs to be detained in handcuffs." "Individuals inside the vehicle shot at Mr. Kemp, who then returned fire in self-defense," said attorney Scott Boatman. "There was not a drive by shooting as previously reported and Mr. Kemp’s actions were reasonable and legally justified." Kemp appears to have left the Pierce County Jail shortly after noon on Thursday based on jail records, though he was never seen leaving the jail. Kemp, who spent a majority of his career with the Seattle Supersonics after being drafted in 1989, played in the NBA for 14 years. Following retirement, Kemp kept his roots in Seattle – while turning into a businessperson. Kemp recently opened up a second Shawn Kemp’s Cannabis location in SODO, following a downtown opening the year prior. Kemp is part owner of the business. https://www.q13fox.com/news/ex-nba-...tracking-stolen-iphone-to-tacoma-mall-lawyers
SHAWN KEMP ARREST Police Audio ... 'TWO SUBJECTS FIRING SHOTS' UPDATE 1:04 PM PT -- Shawn Kemp has been formally released from jail, according to records. 12:19 PM PT -- The Pierce County District Attorney's office says Kemp is set to be released from jail. Charges will not be filed on Thursday. He's not in the clear, however -- Kemp could still be charged as Tacoma PD has not completed its investigation. Shawn Kemp allegedly wasn't the only one pulling the trigger during his parking lot altercation on Wednesday ... police responded to "two subjects firing shots at each other," according to dispatch audio obtained by TMZ Sports. 53-year-old Kemp was arrested for drive-by shooting following a dispute with another driver outside a Tacoma, WA shopping mall on Wednesday ... after cops say an altercation broke out between two cars around 2 PM. As we previously reported, witnesses claim they heard gunshots prior to recording part of the incident on their phones ... although it was unclear whether Kemp -- who is shown aiming and shooting his weapon in the video -- was the only one to open fire. According to police dispatch, witnesses claim Kemp fired 5-10 shots at the other vehicle during the incident ... and a revolver was found outside a Firestone Complete Auto Care. Our footage shows Kemp driving around the parking lot and dumping something near a bush outside the car shop ... and cops later found a weapon at the scene. Sources tell Fox 13 Kemp was acting out of self-defense ... and he was attempting to retrieve stolen property when someone opened fire on him first. Kemp was booked for felony drive-by shooting at 5:58 PM at the Pierce County Jail. Cops say no one was injured ... and the incident is under investigation. https://www.tmz.com/2023/03/09/shawn-kemp-drive-by-arrest-police-audio-two-subjects-firing-shots/
Yeah, not a very wise move by Kemp. I’ve had things stolen from me and it’s easy to become irrational. But not when you have so much to lose. Buy a new cell phone, bro.
Reminds me of what happened to my neighbor. The guy took his son out surfing and someone did a smash-and-dash while they were in the water. He went home, tracked the phone, drove 40 miles, found the guy sitting in a park, and told him he just wanted his phone back. The "alleged thief" took off running and got hit by a car as he ran out into the street where my friend was then able to hold him until the cops showed up. Of course, they let him go (to do it again) because they had no proof that it was he who broke into the car. The one big difference was my friend, who owns a gun, did not bring it with him, because he knew he would be the one who would end up in jail and not the POS who smashed his window and stole all his stuff. The bottom line is the police do not have the resources to track every stolen phone that takes place. The victims just have to accept taking it up the ass with no recourse.
So (allegedly) multiple shots were fired by both parties. Assuming he's not charged with firing the gun, should/would/could there be any charges stemming from tossing the gun into some bushes after the fact?
