Former NBA great Shawn Kemp arrested on felony drive-by shooting charges

(TACOMA, Wash.) — Former Seattle Supersonics star and NBA great Shawn Kemp has been arrested for his alleged involvement in a drive-by shooting at a mall, police say.

The incident occurred at approximately 1:58 p.m. Wednesday when officers from the Tacoma Police Department in Washington responded to reports of shots being fired in the parking lot of the Tacoma Mall, the largest shopping center in the city.

“Responding officers determined an altercation had occurred between two parties in vehicles,” said the Tacoma Police Department in a statement following the incident. “One of the drivers fired off several rounds at the occupants of the other vehicle.”

A short time later, officers say they were able to locate the suspect who had fired shots at the driver of the other car and arrest the 53-year-old suspect without incident. Authorities also confirmed that a firearm was recovered from the scene.

Online arrest records for Pierce County Corrections show that Kemp, 53, was booked on a felony drive-by-shooting charge at 5:58 p.m. — four hours after the incident took place at the Tacoma Mall.

Kemp, a six-time NBA all-star who led the Seattle Supersonics to the 1996 NBA Finals, was denied bail and is set to be arraigned on Thursday, according to ABC News’ Seattle affiliate KOMO-TV.

The motives behind the alleged shooting are currently unclear.

Kemp — nicknamed “Reign Man” — played 14 seasons in the NBA, including eight with the Seattle SuperSonics who selected him 17th overall in the 1989 draft, as well as stints with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Portland Trailblazers and the Orlando Magic before dropping out of the league following the conclusion on the 2003 NBA season.

In 2020, Kemp opened a cannabis shop in the Seattle’s Belltown neighborhood and just last month he opened a second location in Seattle’s SODO neighborhood, according to KOMO.

The investigation into the shooting is currently ongoing and anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact Crime Stoppers.

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