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NBA legend Shawn Kemp’s attorney claims he ‘fired back at thieves in self-defense in a bid to recover his stolen iPhone’ – and insists his actions were ‘legally justified’ after release from jail
Shawn Kemp was acting in self-defense, says his lawyer, after the former Sonics NBA star was arrested following a parking lot shooting at a Tacoma, Washington mall.
Kemp, 53, was booked by cops at 5:58pm Pacific Time (8:58pm EST) on Wednesday, just hours after he was involved in an alleged drive-by shooting.
But Kemp’s lawyer Scott Boatman has said in a new statement that his client was shot at first as he attempted to retrieve a stolen phone, and that the former basketball player did not flee the scene.
‘When Mr. Kemp approached the vehicle in an attempt to retrieve his stolen property, individuals inside the vehicle shot at Mr. Kemp, who then returned in self-defense,’ Boatman said in a statement provided by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
‘There was not a drive by shooting as previously reported and Mr. Kemp’s actions were reasonable and legally justified. Mr Kemp met with law enforcement at the scene in an attempt to assist in the matter.’
Shawn Kemp, above in 2021, was detained in connection with a shooting Wednesday
A Google Street View image shows the parking lot where the shooting occurred
Boatman said that Kemp’s car was broken into on Tuesday evening and items including an iPhone were stolen.
Kemp then tracked his iPhone to the parking lot in Tacoma where the shooting eventually occurred.
Police said nobody was hurt in the shooting.
Drive-by shooting is a Class B felony under Washington state law, and carries up to a 10-year prison sentence and maximum $20,000 fine.
Kemp was drafted in the first round of the 1989 NBA Draft by the Seattle SuperSonics, which became the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2008.
He played for the team for nine years, and was an NBA All-Star for the last five of them.
Kemp is a legendary six-time NBA All-Star and played for Seattle Supersonics for eight years
The Pierce County Corrections website shows Kemp’s booking at 17:58 on Wednesday
Kemp, wearing 40, looks on during a 1996 NBA game at Arco Arena in Sacramento, California
In 1997, he was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers, where he played for three seasons and earned himself a sixth All-Star accolade.
At the end of his career, he played for the Portland Trail Blazers and Orlando Magic, where he retired in 2003.
Since his playing days, he has been actively involved in attempts to bring an NBA franchise back to Seattle, after it lost its SuperSonics in 2008.
In 2022, Kemp told the Athletic he wouldn’t stop until the city ‘got the actual Sonics back’.
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