Former NBA star Shawn Kemp pleaded guilty to a second-degree assault for a shooting in a parking lot in Washington State Mall in March 2023.
The request was entered in the Pierce County Superior Court and is part of an agreement that helped him avoid more serious charges and potentially long-term imprisonment.
Prosecutors were initially charged with first-degree assault and improved gun enhancement, and later increased driving shooting and another charge of attack count.
If the case is tried and Kemp is convicted, he could face a longer sentence. However, Deputy Attorney Thomas Howe recommended a sentence of nine months in prison, followed by a year of supervision and compensation from the Department of Corrections. The sentence is decided in August.
The shooting stems from a series of incidents that began with a vehicle breaking in by Kemp on March 8, 2023, while employees of his marijuana dispensary attended a concert. The stolen items include business keys, sports souvenirs and cell phones.
Kemp uses the tracking app, finds the missing phone and faces a Toyota 4Runner and sees hovering in the casino parking lot. Some of his belongings were returned, but the phone was still missing.
Later that day, Kemp followed the phone to the Tacoma Mall, where he faced the same car. According to the defense summary, four people shot in Kemp, who returned to the fire in what the legal team called a “ban on Toyota.”
“Mr. Kemp got back on fire and tried to disable Toyota. It didn't work.” Although both cars were damaged, no one was injured.
Later, an abandoned 4Runner carried an empty leather holster inside, but no gun. A witness reported to 911 that the two men shot at each other.
Kemp's attorney Tim Leary noted that the defense reflects both accountability and the complexity of the case, “proposals were made to him to allow him to take responsibility, but I think it also recognizes the self-defense of this transfer.”
Due to the credibility of witnesses and the illegal ownership of Kemp’s property by the participants, Howe explained that it would be best to resolve the case without a trial.
As part of his confession, Kemp had to surrender to any guns and submit DNA samples for law enforcement records.
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