Former NBA All-Star Shawn Kemp pleaded not guilty Thursday in connection with a shooting in a Washington State parking lot in March.
Kemp, 53, is accused of firing three shots at an occupied vehicle outside Tacoma Mall on March 8. None of Kemp’s shots struck their intended target, and he was charged with first-degree assault.
The former Seattle SuperSonic argued that he fired in self-defense after someone in the vehicle shot at him first. Police claim that surveillance video shows otherwise.
Shortly before the shooting, Kemp’s car was burglarized in Seattle and his cellphone was stolen, according to his defense attorneys. Kemp tracked his phone to a Toyota 4Runner that was parked outside Tacoma Mall.
According to police, surveillance video shows Kemp arriving in the parking lot and stopping a few spots away from the Toyota. He then exits his car, grabs a small bag, walks toward the alleged thief and opens fire, investigators said.
The Toyota driver ducked at least one of the shots and sped away, police said. The driver has not been publicly identified.
Kemp claimed that he first approached the Toyota without a gun, but someone inside the vehicle shot at him. He then said he retreated to his own car, grabbed his gun and shot back.
“Kemp was adamant in his interview that he had retreated to his vehicle after he was shot at, and then shot back at the 4Runner,” a Tacoma cop said in charging documents. “However, the video clearly showed Kemp getting the revolver out of the backpack as soon as he gets out of his Porsche.”
Officers arrested Kemp at the scene on March 8, but he was released later that day as the investigation continued. However, on April 14, prosecutors formally charged Kemp with first-degree assault.
Investigators also said Kemp sent a text message that read, “I’m about to shoot this [expletive]” minutes before the incident.
With News Wire Services
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