Former Seattle SuperSonics ahead Shawn Kemp, middle, attends a WNBA basketball recreation between the Seattle Storm and the Chicago Sky on May 18, 2022, in Seattle. Prosecutors in Washington state charged Kemp on Friday, April 14, 2023, with first-degree assault in a car parking zone taking pictures final month over a stolen cellphone.

Ted S. Warren/AP

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Ted S. Warren/AP

Former Seattle SuperSonics ahead Shawn Kemp, middle, attends a WNBA basketball recreation between the Seattle Storm and the Chicago Sky on May 18, 2022, in Seattle. Prosecutors in Washington state charged Kemp on Friday, April 14, 2023, with first-degree assault in a car parking zone taking pictures final month over a stolen cellphone.

Ted S. Warren/AP

Former NBA Seattle SuperSonics star Shawn Kemp was charged with first-degree assault after being arrested in reference to a drive-by taking pictures in Washington state final month, in keeping with court docket paperwork.

An altercation broke out within the car parking zone of the Tacoma Mall on March 8 that escalated into pictures being fired, the Tacoma Police Department stated after the incident. “One car fled,” it acknowledged, and one man was arrested on the scene.

In an interview with police, Kemp stated he was shot at first when he confronted somebody after monitoring his stolen cellphone. No one was damage within the incident.

Kemp was released from jail and never instantly charged, however on Friday the Superior Court of Washington for Pierce County stated Kemp, allegedly armed with a .357-caliber revolver, acted with “intent to inflict great bodily harm, intentionally assault another person with a firearm or deadly weapon or by any force or means likely to produce great bodily harm or death.”

A witness reported seeing an individual who matched the outline of Kemp throw the revolver within the bushes after the incident, which Kemp admitted to, in keeping with Tacoma police.

According to video surveillance seen by a detective, a silver Toyota 4Runner pulled into the mall’s car parking zone, however nobody acquired out of the automobile. Kemp’s Porsche pulled up a couple of minutes later and Kemp is allegedly seen getting out of his automobile, retrieving a black backpack from the car and approaching the 4Runner.

Kemp advised police a telephone was stolen from his automobile the day of the incident and he initially tracked it to a silver SUV on the Emerald Queen Casino in Fife, Wash. There, he requested the occupants of the SUV if that they had gadgets that belonged to him, although their reply shouldn’t be specified.

Police later confirmed the 4Runner was stolen and the motive force was the identical in each incidents.

Kemp then tracked the car to Tacoma Mall, the place Kemp stated he was shot at after approaching the 4Runner and demanding his property again.

“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 detective stated. “However, the video clearly showed Kemp getting the revolver out of the backpack as soon as he gets out of his Porsche.”

The police division’s findings don’t say Kemp fired the preliminary shot, however that he “was standing in close proximity to where the live .357 magnum round was recovered and it was the same caliber as the revolver Kemp had used.”

It is unclear at what level the motive force of the 4Runner exited the car, however detectives stated after Kemp grew to become “very animated,” the particular person tried to drive away, however the open driver’s facet door acquired lodged towards the car subsequent to it.

Kemp then allegedly walked to the entrance of the 4Runner and fired a shot in its hood and walked again to his automobile. At a number of factors, Kemp walked between his automobile and the 4Runner and ultimately reached within the trunk for one thing, however didn’t take away something from it, police stated.

Police later discovered an AR-style pistol within the trunk whereas executing a search warrant of Kemp’s automobile, however didn’t discover any magazines or ammunition. They additionally discovered 5 .357 caliber cartridges in Kemp’s jacket pocket, one on the bottom and two unused ones within the middle console of his automobile, police stated.

The driver of the 4Runner ultimately dislodged the car’s door, and Kemp, upon noticing, started strolling towards the car together with his pistol and a verbal argument ensued. He then allegedly fired one other shot on the 4Runner, and its driver exited the car with their palms up and confronted Kemp. Kemp walked again to his Porsche and each events left, police stated.

Forensic proof exhibits the 4Runner had been shot thrice. Kemp later contacted police after pondering he could be recognized by his license plate, a detective stated.

During their search warrant, police stated additionally they discovered a cellphone on Kemp’s particular person. Upon looking out the telephone, police discovered that Kemp despatched a textual content message saying he had his telephone again and one other one saying “I’m about to shoot this mf” 13 minutes earlier than he arrived on the mall, police stated.

Under Washington state law, the crime of drive-by taking pictures applies to anybody who fires a gun both immediately from a car or from “the immediate area of a motor vehicle that was used to transport the shooter or the firearm, or both, to the scene of the discharge,” creating “a substantial risk of death or serious physical injury.”

Kemp, famously generally known as “the Reign Man,” was a six-time NBA All-Star throughout his profession, with most of these appearances coming throughout his eight-season stint with the Seattle SuperSonics. The franchise moved to Oklahoma City roughly a decade after Seattle traded Kemp to the Cleveland Cavaliers.