Latest news with #ShawnKemp
NBC Sports
5 days ago
- NBC Sports
Former NBA star Shawn Kemp pleads guilty to assault charge in Washington parking lot shooting
TACOMA, Wash. (AP) — Former NBA star Shawn Kemp pleaded guilty to an assault charge on Tuesday for shooting at two men inside a vehicle in a Washington state mall parking lot. Kemp, 55, pleaded guilty to second-degree assault in Pierce County Superior Court in Tacoma as part of a plea agreement, according to the county Prosecuting Attorney's Office. The Toyota 4Runner the men were inside and another vehicle were damaged in the March 2023 shooting, but the men were not hurt. Kemp was initially charged with one count of first-degree assault with a firearm enhancement, but prosecutors last week added another count of assault as well as a drive-by shooting charge, The Seattle Times reported. Convictions on those charges could have resulted in a lengthy prison term. He will be sentenced in August. Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Thomas Howe recommended that Kemp be sentenced to nine months in jail, one year of Department of Corrections supervision and support after he is released, and to pay restitution. Kemp, a six-time NBA all-star who played for the Seattle SuperSonics from 1989 to 1997, declined to comment to the newspaper on Tuesday. 'Shawn is committed to moving forward in a positive direction,' Kemp's attorney, Tim Leary, told the Times. 'He was presented with an offer from the state that allows him to take responsibility, but I think also recognizes the self-defense nature of how this transpired.' According to court documents filed by Kemp's attorneys, Kemp and several employees who worked at his cannabis dispensary were at a Seattle concert venue when Kemp's truck was broken into on March 8, 2023. An employee's purse was stolen along with keys to Kemp's business, a cellphone, paperwork and sports memorabilia, including game-worn Gary Payton and Kemp jerseys that were to be auctioned off for charity, the defense's trial brief says. Using a phone tracking app, Kemp located and briefly tried to talk to the driver of the 4Runner that was circling a casino parking lot, according to the trial brief. The men in the vehicle afterward dumped some of Kemp's belongings but hung on to the phone, the brief says. Kemp later saw his phone was near the Tacoma Mall. He drove there, spotted the same 4Runner and 'expressed his understandable frustration' with the driver, according to the brief. The brief says a man in the back seat 'fired off a round from a handgun at Mr. Kemp. Mr. Kemp returned fire and attempted to disable the Toyota. It did not work.' The 4Runner fled and when the vehicle was found abandoned days later, an empty holster was found inside but there was no gun, documents said. A police call log included in court records indicates that at least one witness who called 911 reported that two men were firing at each other. Howe, in a statement explaining the plea agreement, wrote that because of the two witnesses' past crimes of dishonesty and the 'fact that those people were illegally in possession' of Kemp's belongings, the case should be resolved short of trial. As part of his plea, Kemp cannot have a firearm and will be required to provide a sample for a law enforcement DNA database. Kemp debuted in the NBA during the 1989-90 season as a 20-year-old who had never played college basketball. He also played for Cleveland, Portland and Orlando and was known for his high-flying dunks.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Trouble finds ex-NBA star Shawn Kemp once again, and he'll serve time for it
Former Seattle SuperSonics forward Shawn Kemp, center, attends a WNBA basketball game between the Seattle Storm and the Chicago Sky on May 18, 2022, in Seattle. (Ted S. Warren/Associated Press) Shawn Kemp's name has long been synonymous with prodigious talent, a ton of trouble and wasted opportunity. Now he'll likely also be known for a jail sentence. Kemp, 55, pleaded guilty to second-degree assault Tuesday for shooting at two men inside a vehicle in a Tacoma, Wash., mall parking lot. The plea was part of an agreement in Pierce County Superior Court in which prosecutors will recommend nine months of confinement in the county jail when Kemp is sentenced in August. Advertisement Kemp was initially charged with one count of first-degree assault with a firearm enhancement after the March 2003 shooting, and prosecutors last week added another count of assault as well as a drive-by shooting charge. No one was hurt but the Toyota 4Runner the men were inside and another vehicle were damaged. Kemp contended in a court filing that he fired in self-defense after one of the men shot at him. The 4Runner drove off before Tacoma police arrived and and an empty holster was found inside the vehicle when it was discovered abandoned days later. 'Shawn is committed to moving forward in a positive direction,' Kemp's attorney Tim Leary told the Seattle Times. 'He was presented with an offer from the state that allows him to take responsibility, but I think also recognizes the self-defense nature of how this transpired.' Seattle SuperSonics' Shawn Kemp going in for a dunk as Houston Rockets' Hakeem Olajuwon (34) defends during the second quarter of their NBA playoff game May 5, 1997, in Houston. (Pat Sullivan / AP) Kemp famously battled cocaine addiction and fathered at least seven children with six different women during a 15-year NBA career that began when he was 19 years old in 1989. Advertisement Kemp was arrested in 2006 for drug possession in Washington, found with cocaine, marijuana, and a pistol. Growth has been halting, however, even for someone who sprouted 13 inches between the ninth and 11th grades, topping out at 6-foot-10. His weight ballooned during his career from 230 pounds to more than 300, yet he remained capable of dominating on the court. Read more: Kemp Becomes Loaded Question That was long ago, though. And on Tuesday in court, his attorney explained that Kemp's truck was broken into on March 8, 2023, when he and other employees who worked at his marijuana dispensary, Kemp's Cannabis, were attending a concert in Seattle. Advertisement According to court documents, Kemp's cellphone and game-worn Kemp and Gary Payton jerseys were among the items stolen. Kemp used a phone tracking app to find the alleged thieves and confronted the driver of the 4Runner in a Tacoma mall parking lot. A man in the back seat shot at Kemp with a handgun, according to the filing, and Kemp returned fire. The 4Runner fled, and when the vehicle was found abandoned days later, an empty holster was found inside but there was no gun, documents said. As part of his plea, Kemp cannot possess a firearm. In addition to the proposed nine-month sentence, Kemp will spend one year in community custody and pay restitution. 'His plan is to tell the community about the dangers of gun violence, really to be a positive influence on youth,' Aaron Kiviat, another of Kemp's attorneys, told the Seattle Times. Advertisement In a statement outlining the plea agreement, Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Thomas Howe said that the case should be resolved ahead of trial because the two alleged victims were illegally in possession of Kemp's belongings. Both alleged victims are currently serving prison sentences in other cases. One is serving a seven-year sentence, in part for a July 2023 shooting in which he mistook the victim for Kemp. The same man recently filed a civil suit against Kemp stemming from the mall shooting. Nicknamed the "Reign Man," Kemp made $91,572,963 during his 15-year NBA career that ended in 2004. He was a six-time All-Star and helped the Seattle SuperSonics to the NBA finals in 1996 when he averaged a career-high 21.2 points a game. Kemp also played for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Portland Trail Blazers and Orlando Magic. Kemp reflected on the ups and downs of his career on the All the Smoke podcast with former NBA players Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson, saying, "Going through some problems and stuff that I went through in my career also hurts you at the end. But I think when you look at the good side of it, and you compare the numbers and stuff, I'm right there with some of the best ones." Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
5 days ago
- Los Angeles Times
Trouble finds ex-NBA star Shawn Kemp once again, and he'll serve time for it
Shawn Kemp's name has long been synonymous with prodigious talent, a ton of trouble and wasted opportunity. Now he'll likely also be known for a jail sentence. Kemp, 55, pleaded guilty to second-degree assault Tuesday for shooting at two men inside a vehicle in a Tacoma, Wash., mall parking lot. The plea was part of an agreement in Pierce County Superior Court in which prosecutors will recommend nine months of confinement in the county jail when Kemp is sentenced in August. Kemp was initially charged with one count of first-degree assault with a firearm enhancement after the March 2003 shooting, and prosecutors last week added another count of assault as well as a drive-by shooting charge. No one was hurt but the Toyota 4Runner the men were inside and another vehicle were damaged. Kemp contended in a court filing that he fired in self-defense after one of the men shot at him. The 4Runner drove off before Tacoma police arrived and and an empty holster was found inside the vehicle when it was discovered abandoned days later. 'Shawn is committed to moving forward in a positive direction,' Kemp's attorney Tim Leary told the Seattle Times. 'He was presented with an offer from the state that allows him to take responsibility, but I think also recognizes the self-defense nature of how this transpired.' Kemp famously battled cocaine addiction and fathered at least seven children with six different women during a 15-year NBA career that began when he was 19 years old in 1989. Kemp was arrested in 2006 for drug possession in Washington, found with cocaine, marijuana, and a pistol. Growth has been halting, however, even for someone who sprouted 13 inches between the ninth and 11th grades, topping out at 6-foot-10. His weight ballooned during his career from 230 pounds to more than 300, yet he remained capable of dominating on the court. That was long ago, though. And on Tuesday in court, his attorney explained that Kemp's truck was broken into on March 8, 2023, when he and other employees who worked at his marijuana dispensary, Kemp's Cannabis, were attending a concert in Seattle. According to court documents, Kemp's cellphone and game-worn Kemp and Gary Payton jerseys were among the items stolen. Kemp used a phone tracking app to find the alleged thieves and confronted the driver of the 4Runner in a Tacoma mall parking lot. A man in the back seat shot at Kemp with a handgun, according to the filing, and Kemp returned fire. The 4Runner fled, and when the vehicle was found abandoned days later, an empty holster was found inside but there was no gun, documents said. As part of his plea, Kemp cannot possess a firearm. In addition to the proposed nine-month sentence, Kemp will spend one year in community custody and pay restitution. 'His plan is to tell the community about the dangers of gun violence, really to be a positive influence on youth,' Aaron Kiviat, another of Kemp's attorneys, told the Seattle Times. In a statement outlining the plea agreement, Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Thomas Howe said that the case should be resolved ahead of trial because the two alleged victims were illegally in possession of Kemp's belongings. Both alleged victims are currently serving prison sentences in other cases. One is serving a seven-year sentence, in part for a July 2023 shooting in which he mistook the victim for Kemp. The same man recently filed a civil suit against Kemp stemming from the mall shooting. Nicknamed the 'Reign Man,' Kemp made $91,572,963 during his 15-year NBA career that ended in 2004. He was a six-time All-Star and helped the Seattle SuperSonics to the NBA finals in 1996 when he averaged a career-high 21.2 points a game. Kemp also played for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Portland Trail Blazers and Orlando Magic. Kemp reflected on the ups and downs of his career on the All the Smoke podcast with former NBA players Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson, saying, 'Going through some problems and stuff that I went through in my career also hurts you at the end. But I think when you look at the good side of it, and you compare the numbers and stuff, I'm right there with some of the best ones.'
New York Times
5 days ago
- General
- New York Times
Ex-Sonic Shawn Kemp facing possibility of jail time after pleading guilty to assault in 2023 shooting
Former Seattle SuperSonics forward Shawn Kemp pleaded guilty Tuesday to second-degree assault for shooting at two men in a vehicle in Tacoma, Wash., in 2023, according to Pierce County Superior Court records. Kemp, 55, was initially charged with first-degree assault, but prosecutors recently added the second-degree assault charge. Kemp reached a plea agreement to avoid trial, and Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Thomas Howe recommended a nine-month jail sentence for Kemp, a year of supervision by the Department of Corrections and for Kemp to pay restitution. A sentencing hearing has been scheduled for Aug. 22. Advertisement On April 14, 2023, Kemp was charged with one count of assault in the first degree for his involvement in a shooting at a local shopping mall on March 8 of that year. Authorities initially arrested Kemp but did not charge him. One of Kemp's attorneys, Scott W. Boatman, previously said Kemp had multiple items, including his cell phone, stolen from his vehicle three days before the shooting. According to Boatman, Kemp tracked his phone to a vehicle in a mall parking lot. Kemp approached the vehicle to retrieve his stolen property when two men (Dajaun Jackson and Joshua Puente) shot at Kemp, who returned fire. The Tacoma Police Department said at the time that a car fled from the scene and a gun was recovered from a bush, which Kemp later admitted to having used and discarded. No injuries were reported. 'Shawn is committed to moving forward in a positive direction,' Tim Leary, Kemp's attorney, said in a statement to The Athletic on Wednesday. 'The Pierce County Prosecutor's Office presented him with an offer that allowed him to take responsibility, but also recognized the self-defense aspects of how this incident transpired. It was undisputed that Dajaun Jackson and Joshua Puente were in possession of Mr. Kemp's stolen property while driving a stolen vehicle. 'The agreement allows for Mr. Kemp to ask for a sentence of no jail time based upon the actions of Mr. Jackson and Mr. Puente.' Kemp spent the first eight seasons of his playing career in Seattle, where he became known for his highlight-reel dunks and helping lead the Sonics to the 1996 NBA Finals. He also played for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Portland Trail Blazers and Orlando Magic across his 14-year career. He retired a six-time All-Star with 15,347 career points.
Washington Post
5 days ago
- General
- Washington Post
Former NBA star Shawn Kemp pleads guilty in shooting, faces jail time
Former NBA star Shawn Kemp pleaded guilty Tuesday to second-degree assault over a March 2023 shooting outside a shopping mall in Tacoma, Washington. Prosecutors allege that Kemp, 55, shot at two men who were inside a Toyota 4Runner as he attempted to recover items stolen from his truck, including a cellphone that Kemp used to track the alleged robbers' movement. No one was hit during the shooting, though the 4Runner and another vehicle were damaged.
