Former NBA star Shawn Kemp has been charged by prosecutors in Washington state with first-degree assault on Friday for a mall parking lot shooting last month.
Kemp was arrested on March 8., and was released on bail shortly afterward. His lawyers insist he was only acting in self-defense.
The prosecution holds that Kemp sent a text message shortly before the shooting showing his intent to confront the man who allegedly stole the phone from him.
Kemp’s attorney says he will plead not guilty. “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,” Defense Attorney Tim Leary said in a statement released to the press.
Police authorities maintain that some of the statements of the basketball star are not corroborated by surveillance footage and there is not evidence to establish that he shot in self-defense.
Reportedly, Kemp tracked his phone via the phone-tracker app to a Toyota 4Runner SUV that was parked outside a Tacoma shopping mall. He parked his own Porshe, close to the said vehicle, and approached the alleged thief with a handgun, the statement filed by police says. The person dodged three shots fired by Kemp and sped away.
Kemp will be arraigned on May 4.
Kemp spent 8 years at the SuperSonics and also made the All-Star team as a member of the Cavaliers and Trail Blazers during an illustrious career spanning from 1900 to 2004.
Mr. Kemp was arrested in 2006 for marijuana possession in Houston, Texas.
