Former Seattle Sonics star Shawn Kemp was charged Friday with first-degree assault following an incident that resulted an exchange of gunfire at the Tacoma Mall in March.
Kemp, who also played for the Trail Blazers during his NBA career, was charged by the Pierce County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office for the incident, which occurred on March 8. The charges mark a reversal after Kemp initially was arrested but not charged pending further investigation.
Kemp is not in custody. His arraignment hearing is scheduled for May 4.
Kemp’s attorney, Scott Boatman released a statement to ESPN. Boatman said Kemp will enter a plea of not guilty and a jury will “conclude that he was justified in defending himself.”
The charge stems from an incident in which police said Kemp claimed he was shot at first before returning fire. Kemp’s attorney claimed he was acting in self-defense, confronting a person who allegedly stole a cell phone from Kemp’s car. Kemp said he located his phone and went to retrieve it.
However, detectives investigating the case now say that video taken by witnesses and surveillance video tell a different story. The videos allegedly show Kemp getting out of his car, grabbing a backpack from his trunk and firing a gun. Detectives also found a text message before the incident on Kemp’s phone which said he was going to shoot the person.
Kemp, 50, spent eight seasons with the Sonics after being drafted in 1989. He played two seasons with the Trail Blazers. He played in the NBA for 14 years.