Former NBA player Shawn Kemp has gotten into a significant amount of trouble after his recent actions. As some veteran NBA fans might be aware, Kemp played in the NBA for 14 years between 1990 and 2003. He is best known for his time with the Seattle Supersonics and was a well-known player across the league.
However, his good name and reputation seem to be at stake given the seriousness of the charges being placed against him. With that being said, let us take a closer look and understand what he is being charged with and the context of this entire situation.
Former NBA player Shawn Kemp claims his actions were in self-defense
Kemp’s narrative indicates quite an intense event. He said that someone had stolen his iPhone and he had tracked them down to Tacoma Mall with the intention of shooting them to retrieve it. However, things got escalated and he was forced to get his gun and shoot back at a Toyota 4Runner. That is a sports utility vehicle and what Shawm Kemp was accusing the thieves of escaping on.
Video of Shawn Kemp shooting at another car in broad daylight. Apparently no one was hurt. pic.twitter.com/XhpTYTwXGz
— Troydan (@Troydan) March 9, 2023
However, his narrative really didn’t sync perfectly with the video evidence obtained by legal authorities. It indicated that Kemp already had the gun on him as opposed to getting it when being shot at. Moreover, the statements for witnesses around the area indicated that Kemp was the only one seen shooting in this entire situation.
Therefore, it certainly makes sense for him to be prosecuted. He has been charged with assault and will be arraigned on May 4. Another piece of evidence against Shawn Kemp is a threatening message he sent to the one who stole his iPhone. That shows intent, which is an important variable when determining the guilt of a crime.
Former Sonics star Shawn Kemp has been charged with assault in first degree stemming from March incident when Kemp allegedly fired a handgun in parking lot of a Tacoma shopping mall. His lawyer Scott Boatman tells ESPN that Kemp will enter plea of not guilty in upcoming…
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 14, 2023
Despite all of this evidence against the former NBA player, his legal team has sent out a message assuring the public of his innocence and reiterating that he acted in self-defense. They were quite confident that a non-biased jury would see things Kemp’s way if things ended up going to trial.
Kemp attorney Scott Boatman’s statement to ESPN: https://t.co/5tZnawfHNF pic.twitter.com/T4dARTGqRG
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 14, 2023
There really is no telling how this could play out. Kemp didn’t have a clear narrative that corroborated the video footage. However, if he really was only firing back, there should undoubtedly be evidence of the initial gunfire. In any case, we wish him the best and hope he manages to get through all of this.