Ex-NBA star Shawn Kemp hit with lawsuit over mall shooting
Former NBA player Shawn Kemp has been hit with a lawsuit following his alleged involvement in a 2023 shooting at the parking lot of Tacoma Mall in Washington. One of the two men inside the vehicle that Kemp is accused of shooting at is now seeking damages for emotional distress.
Dajuan Jackson, a passenger in his friend's Toyota 4Runner, claims the Seattle SuperSonics star approached their vehicle and allegedly opened fire without warning. Kemp's ex-wife, Marvena Thomas, was also named a defendant in the lawsuit.
The incident occurred in March 2023 and appears to have been over a stolen phone. Per court documents filed by attorneys representing Jackson, Kemp, 55, had tracked his stolen cell phone to a parking lot at the Tacoma Mall. Arriving in a Porsche, Kemp got out and allegedly shot a .357-caliber revolver at the vehicle Jackson and his friend were in.
The lawsuit claims Kemp then went back to his car, where he looked around his trunk, and then came back and allegedly fired two more shots at the Toyota before fleeing. Kemp was arrested by the Tacoma Police Department but released the next day due to his likeness and lack of a criminal history.
Fred Rabb, an attorney for Jackson, said Jackson did not have a weapon at the time, and he didn't know if the other person did. Rabb said, "No one pointed a gun at Shawn Kemp. He just opened fire." A later search found an "AR-15 style pistol" with no ammunition left in the trunk of Kemp's car.
Kemp pleaded not guilty to first-degree assault in the criminal case related to the shooting, and his lawyer has maintained that the individuals in the vehicle fired at Kemp first, prompting him to return fire in self-defense.
A detective reported that Kemp reiterated this point in an interview. However, they added that a video "clearly showed Kemp getting the revolver out of the backpack as soon as he gets out of his Porsche." No one was injured during the incident.
The lawsuit claims Shawn Kemp's actions inflicted Jackson with general damages for personal injuries. This included negligent infliction of emotional distress, loss of enjoyment of life and other general damages. Jackson, 39, has a detailed criminal record and is currently incarcerated at the Coyote Ridge Corrections Center in Connell, Washington.
A trial readiness status hearing is set for Feb. 7.
Shawn Kemp's cannabis dispensary victim of burglary
Shawn Kemp spent eight seasons with the Seattle SuperSonics, making five straight All-Star selections and becoming a beloved community figure in the process. After his playing days were over, the famed slam-dunker nicknamed "Reign Man" returned to the place that first embraced him.
In 2020, Kemp partnered with industry veterans Matt Schoenlein and Ramsey Hamide to open a dispensary called Kemp's Cannabis. The business now has two stores: one near Uptown and the world-famous Space Needle and the other in the SODO neighborhood of Seattle, in what used to be an old bank.
Unfortunately for Shawn Kemp, on the morning of Saturday, Jan. 11, the Kemp's Cannabis shop in SODO was robbed.
Surveillance video from within the shop shows a burglar disabling an outside camera, then using an axe and what experts believe is a hydraulic rescue tool known by firefighters as the "jaws of life." to break into the business. Once inside, the burglar can be seen again using the jaws of life to pry open the shop's ATMs and pull the cash out.
The burglar brought the cash to a green truck parked outside before returning to the store to collect more merchandise and break display cases. The perpetrator was inside the building for 20 minutes before leaving.
Kemp's Cannabis, as well as many similar dispensaries, operate on a cash-only basis and have ATMs within the stores for customers, which makes these "cash-heavy" businesses prime targets for robbery.
When asked if he thought the business was targeted specifically because of his basketball history, Shawn Kemp felt it wasn't likely.
"Could be, could be, but I think it's more of just, just desperate people these days, desperate times,” Kemp said.
Kemp said he won't let the incident discourage him from keeping the business going, and his love for Seattle isn't going anywhere either.
“Absolutely, absolutely, no doubt about it. I still got a lot of love for the city, still going to be involved in the community,” Kemp said.
Co-owner of Kemp's Cannabis, Tran Du, said the burglary caused over $25,000 in damage.