By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Six-time NBA All-Star Shawn Kemp has pleaded guilty to a second-degree assault charge as part of a plea agreement, according to the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office of Pierce County.
Before an update on Tuesday, the former player was initially charged with one count of first-degree assault. He was facing a lengthy prison term.
As part of the agreement, Kemp is required to provide a biological sample for a law enforcement DNA database and is not allowed to possess a gun.
In March 2023, Kemp was involved in a shooting of two men inside a Toyota 4Runner at a parking lot in Tacoma, Washington.
The defense argued that Kemp’s truck was broken into on March 8. Using a tracking app, he found his stolen phone in the possession of one of the two men in the 4Runner and attempted to talk to the driver. According to court documents, the driver then dumped some of the stolen items but kept the phone and drove away, before Kemp again tracked his phone at Tacoma Mall. The defense stated the second man sitting in the back seat fired first at Kemp with a handgun, and Kemp responded by firing his own gun.
“Shawn is committed to moving forward in a positive direction,” his 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.”
Per a recommendation by Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Thomas Howe, he should be sentenced to nine months of jail, one year of Department of Corrections supervision and support after he is released, and pay restitution.