Former Seattle Sonics star Shawn Kemp was arrested Wednesday in Pierce County in connection with a shooting in Tacoma.
Kemp was booked shortly before 6 p.m., according to Pierce County Corrections. Pierce County prosecutors decided Thursday not to charge Kemp pending further investigation by Tacoma police into the alleged shooting at the Tacoma Mall, in which no injuries were reported.
Shortly before 2 p.m. Wednesday, an “altercation” between the people in two cars led to shots fired in a parking lot in the 4500 block of South Steele Street, according to the Tacoma Police Department.
One driver left. Police arrested Kemp and recovered a gun, reports said. No injuries were reported.
The Tacoma Police Department did not return multiple requests for additional details.
Kemp was a major part of the Sonics’ successful run in the 1990s.
He debuted in the NBA during the 1989-90 season as a 20-year-old who had never played college basketball. He quickly became known for his high-flying, athletic dunks.
Kemp, who played in six NBA All-Star Games, teamed with point guard Gary Payton to form one of the league’s top duos. They led the Sonics to the NBA Finals in 1996, where they lost to the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls.
Unhappy with his contract situation, Kemp forced a trade out of Seattle after the 1996-97 season. The Sonics received forward Vin Baker as the main return in the trade that landed Kemp in Cleveland, where he had three more standout seasons.
He was traded to Portland in 2000 and played three more seasons, but his play declined significantly.
In 2020, Kemp opened a cannabis dispensary in Seattle’s Belltown, called Shawn Kemp’s Cannabis. He opened a second shop last month in Sodo.
CORRECTION: The Sodo location of Shawn Kemp’s Cannabis opened in February, not this month.
Seattle Times assistant sports editor Nathan Joyce and staff reporter Vonnai Phair contributed to this report.