Shawn Kemp facing first-degree assault charges / News - Basketnews.com

Six-time NBA All-Star Shawn Kemp was charged with assault in the first degree for his involvement in a March 8 shooting incident in Washington.

Credit: AP Photo/Ted S. Warren Credit AP Photo/Ted S. Warren

Shawn Kemp, icon of the Seattle SuperSonics, has been charged with first-degree assault for his involvement in a parking lot shooting last month.

The incident took place over a stolen cellphone, with prosecutors saying that in a text message just before the shooting, Kemp wrote, "I’m about to shoot this (expletive)."

Kemp was arrested after the shooting outside the Tacoma Mall, Washington, on March 8, and was released the next day. No one was injured, and Kemp's lawyers have insisted he returned fire in self-defense after tracking and trying to retrieve a cell phone that had been stolen from him earlier that day.

Although the confrontation was originally reported as a drive-by shooting, Kemp's attorney has argued that Kemp was shot and his shots were in self-defense.

However, Washington state prosecutors believe there is new evidence that Kemp intended to shoot the person who allegedly stole his phone.

The document said Kemp told police that after being shot at he went back to his own vehicle, parked several spots away, to get his own gun. But the video showed that he was armed with the weapon when he approached the parked Toyota 4Runner where he had tracked his phone.

According to the statement, Kemp fired three times into the Toyota and then threw his gun into some bushes. The driver of the 4Runner appeared to duck one of the shots and eventually drove off, it said. Only about five minutes elapsed from the time Kemp arrived until the time the 4Runner left.

The bullets that struck the 4Runner went through the front license plate mount, the front quarter panel toward the steering wheel, and through the front passenger door.

Kemp plans to plead not guilty in proceedings that will take place on May 4. The retired player, who has two licensed cannabis stores in Seattle, was a six-time NBA All-Star and played for the Seattle SuperSonics from 1989 to 1997. He also played for Cleveland, Portland and Orlando.

Kemp debuted in the NBA during the 1989-90 season as a 20-year-old who had never played college basketball. He became known for his high-flying dunks.

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