Tacoma police arrest former Seattle Sonics star Shawn Kemp after drive-by shooting
Update: Shawn Kemp was released from the Pierce County Jail without charges. Read the latest here.
Former Seattle Sonics star Shawn Kemp was arrested Wednesday in Tacoma, following reports of a drive-by shooting.
A statement from Tacoma police said the initial incident was reported at 1:58 p.m., though it did not mention Kemp by name. Officers responded to reports of shots fired in the Tacoma Mall parking lot at the 4500 block of S. Steele St. No injuries were reported.
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. One car fled. No injuries were reported. A gun was recovered. A 53-yr-old male was booked for Drive-By Shooting. The investigation is ongoing. pic.twitter.com/XTIeU1I4Jj
— Tacoma Police Department (@TacomaPD) March 9, 2023
According to police, shots were fired after an altercation between two people in separate vehicles. One of the drivers “fired off several rounds at the occupants of the other vehicle. The victim vehicle fled the area,” police said.
Officers later found the suspected shooter, who was arrested “without incident,” police said. They also recovered a gun.
Police did not name the suspect but described him as “a 53-year-old male.” The Pierce County Jail roster shows Kemp, 53, was booked at 5:58 p.m. Q13, citing sources close to Kemp, reported that the shooting “was in self defense.”
Kemp played for the Sonics from 1989 to 1997, teaming up with fellow star Gary Payton for several successful seasons, including an NBA Finals appearance against Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, who defeated the Sonics in six games. Following his retirement from basketball, Kemp and his business partners opened a cannabis dispensary in Seattle in 2020.
