Former NBA star Shawn Kemp released without charges after being detained in connection with a drive-by shooting incident
By Amy Simonson, CNN
Former Seattle SuperSonics star Shawn Kemp, who was arrested in connection with a drive-by shooting incident Wednesday, was released from jail and no charges will be filed at this time, according to a spokesperson for a prosecutor’s office in Washington state.
In a statement emailed to CNN on Thursday, Pierce County Prosecutor’s Office spokesperson Adam Faber said no charges will be filed today.
“This case’s status will be ‘No Charges Filed’ pending further investigation by Tacoma Police, and Mr. Kemp will be released,” he wrote.
The investigation is ongoing, police spokesperson Wendy Haddow confirmed in an email to CNN.
Kemp, 53, was arrested and booked Wednesday evening in connection with a drive-by shooting incident, according to Darren Moss Jr., a sheriff’s office spokesperson in Pierce County, and online jail records.
According to a police news release, officers responded to reports of shots fired in the parking lot of the Tacoma Mall just before 2 p.m. PT Wednesday.
The officers determined people from two vehicles had an altercation and one person fired several shots. “The victim vehicle fled the area,” the statement said.
Officers located the suspected shooter, who was still on mall property, and detained him without incident, according to the news release, which didn’t identify Kemp. They also recovered a gun.
When asked for comment about the incident, Haddow referred CNN to the release.
CNN was unable to reach a representative for Kemp, and representatives of his Seattle-based company Shawn Kemp’s Cannabis declined to comment. CNN has not been able to determine whether Kemp has legal representation.
Kemp, a six-time NBA All-Star, played 14 seasons in the league from 1989 to 2003, notably for the Seattle SuperSonics for his first eight years. Debuting one year out of high school, he was one of few players at that time to have been drafted without playing in college.
The star power forward helped Seattle to the 1996 NBA Finals, where the Sonics fell to the Chicago Bulls. Kemp also played for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Portland Trail Blazers and Orlando Magic.
He lives in the Seattle area and owns several cannabis dispensaries.
The-CNN-Wire
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