Shawn Kemp, a former NBA star, was detained on suspicion of felony drive-by shooting. On Thursday, the 53-year-old six-time NBA all-star is scheduled to be arraigned.
Former NBA player Shawn Kemp was arrested on charges of felony drive-by shooting. The 53-year-old, six-time NBA all-star is expected to be arraigned on Thursday.
“After the incident, responding officers concluded that there had been an altercation between two parties in vehicles,” the Tacoma Police Department said in a statement. “The occupants of the other vehicle were fired at by one of the drivers multiple times.” Officers claim that a short while later, they were able to track down the suspect who had shot the second car’s driver and safely apprehend the 53-year-old. The recovery of a firearm from the location was also confirmed by the authorities.
Online arrest records for Pierce County Corrections show that Shawn Kemp, 53, was booked on a felony drive-by-shooting charge at 5:58 p.m. — four hours after the incident took place at the Tacoma Mall.
According to ABC News’ Seattle station KOMO, Kemp, a six-time NBA all-star who guided the Seattle Supersonics to the 1996 NBA Finals, was denied bail and will be arraigned on Thursday.
At this point, it’s unknown why the claimed gunshot occurred. Known by his nickname “Reign Man,” Kemp spent 14 seasons in the NBA. He spent eight of those seasons with the Seattle SuperSonics, who had drafted him 17th overall in 1989. He also had stints with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Portland Trailblazers, and Orlando Magic before quitting the league after the 2003 NBA season.
Kemp established a cannabis store in the Belltown section of Seattle in 2020, and according to KOMO, he added a second site in the SODO sector of Seattle just last month. Anyone with information about this incident is asked to get in touch with Crime Stoppers, as the investigation into the shooting is still ongoing.