Seattle Supersonics icon Shawn Kemp was arrested for first-degree assault in relation to a shooting at the Tacoma Mall parking lot in Washington, last month. He was arrested outside the mall on March 8 and then released the next day. The player’s lawyer Scott Boatman believes that the six-time all-star should be cleared of all charges.
His legal team also sent a letter stating that Kemp will be cleared of all charges after all the hearings. The letter said, “He is confident that once the jury hears from the witnesses and sees the evidence at trial, they will conclude that he was justified in defending himself that afternoon."
According to the Tacoma police, Shawn Kemp was not shot at and had full intentions of shooting the thief who stole his purse and mobile phone. They deduced the claim according to the text message which was sent 13 minutes earlier to the shooting. Kemp has described the incident as he lost his wallet and phone that day but was able to track it to the mall, where was shot to which he fired in self-defence.
Further, the Pierce County Superior Court revealed the surveillance video does not match Kemp’s version of events as it showed that Kemp appeared to fire first. He is scheduled to be arraigned on May 4. Shawn Kemp played for the Seattle Supersonics from 1989 to 1997 and has also played for Cleveland, Portland, and Orlando. He is a six-time all-star and debuted in the 1989-90 season.
