Tacoma police responded to reports of shots fired in an altercation between the occupants of two vehicles just before 2 p.m. local time.
A felony drive-by shooting charge was filed against former NBA star Shawn Kemp in Washington state on Wednesday. Tacoma Police Department officials responded to reports of shots fired after an altercation between occupants of two vehicles just before 2 p.m. local time (5 p.m. ET) on Thursday.
Before the “victim vehicle” fled, police said, one of the drivers fired several rounds at the occupants of the other vehicle. According to the police, a 53-year-old suspect was taken into custody without incident and booked into a local jail, and a firearm was recovered from the scene.
A suspect named Shawn Travis Kemp was booked into a Pierce County jail just before 6 p.m. local time (9 p.m. ET) on a felony drive-by shooting charge, county records show. A Pierce County Sheriff’s Department report identified the suspect as the six-time NBA All-Star, according to NBC affiliate KING-TV.
It did not respond to a request for comment overnight from the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department. A Tacoma Police Department spokesperson declined to provide more details about the arrest. Shawn Travis Kemp, 53, appears to be the only resident in the United States with the name Shawn Travis Kemp.
At one point, it appears that a man in a red vest jacket is arguing with another person in video footage capturing parts of the altercation. As the other person begins to pull away in their vehicle, the person in the red vest jacket points at them as sirens sound. In another video, the person in the red vest jacket can be seen appearing to raise their arm before what sounds like a gunshot rings out.
He was drafted as the No. 17 overall pick in the 1989 NBA Draft by the Seattle SuperSonics, now known as the Oklahoma City Thunder. He played for the team for 14 seasons and also played for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Portland Trail Blazers, and Orlando Magic. The Associated Press reported that Kemp was arrested twice in the early 2000s for drugs, including marijuana possession.
Currently, Kemp operates at least one cannabis shop in Seattle. Drive-by shooting is a class B felony under Washington law. Kemp could face up to 10 years in prison and/or a fine of up to $20,000.
