Seattle Supersonics legend Shawn Kemp was arrested and booked on felony charges in connection to drive-by shooting on Wednesday according to multiple reports. Video shows a large man identified as Kemp firing what appears to be a gun at least once in an altercation outside of the Tacoma Mall in Washington.
What Caused Kemp To Fire A Gun?
Sources close to Kemp told Fox 13 that Kemp had property stolen from his car on Tuesday and tracked his iPhone to the Tacoma Mall on Wednesday. When Kemp approached the vehicle someone allegedly shot at him, and he fired his gun back in self defense.
Witnesses at the scene who recorded the video allege they heard multiple gunshots and that they saw Kemp drive around the parking lot at the mall and ditch the gun in the bushes before he spoke to police.
Video also shows Kemp attempt to flag down police to go after the other vehicle involved.
According to police nobody was hurt as a result of the shooting. As of Thursday morning Kemp is still being held in jail on the charge.
This is an evolving case and more details will likely come to light in the next 48 hours.
Kemp Has Had Trouble With The Law
Kemp and the other alleged party in this incident are fortunate that nobody was hurt. Guns kill people at an alarming rate in this country.
Unfortunately for Kemp this isn’t his first run in with police. He was arrested in 2005 in Shoreline, Washington, for drug possession and in 2006 in another drug investigation in Texas.
However since then Kemp has managed to steer clear of the law and is a businessman in the Seattle area. 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.
The Reign Man Could Ball
Kemp was drafted in the first round by the Sonics in 1989. During his career in Seattle he was a six-time All-Star and three-time All-NBA selection.
The highpoint for Kemp and the Sonics was the 1995-96 season where they finished with the league’s second best record at 61-21. They were eighth in offensive rating, second in defensive rating and second in net rating. A sure-fire title contender.
They won the Western Conference led by Kemp, Gary Payton, Detlef Schrempf, and Hersey Hawkins. After a grueling seven-game series victory over the Utah Jazz in the conference finals, they advanced to the NBA Finals where they lost in six games to Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and the Chicago Bulls.
Kemp never reached those highs again, finishing out his career playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Orlando Magic, and Portland Trail Blazers. He battled weight gain issues at various points post Seattle.
He attempted a comeback in the 2006-07 NBA season but was unable to secure a roster spot. He also attempted to play overseas in the 2007-08 season but was not in shape, ending his professional career.
Kemp has been one of the more prominent voices in the campaign to bring the Sonics back to Seattle. The Sonics were moved to Oklahoma City at the end of the 2007-08 season and became the Thunder.
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