RIP Proof of D-12

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#1
Apr 11, 2:45 PM (ET)

By TOM KRISHER DETROIT (AP) - Proof, a member of rap group D12 and a close friend of Eminem, was shot to death early Tuesday at a nightclub along Eight Mile, the road made famous by the 2002 film that starred Eminem and in which Proof had a bit part.
The death of Proof - real name Deshaun Holton - was confirmed by Dennis Dennehy, the publicist for D12's label, Interscope Records, as well as by Detroit police spokesman James Tate.
"Memorial service arrangements are still being made, and his friends and family would appreciate privacy during this difficult time," Dennehy said in a statement.
Eminem and Proof, 32, seldom were seen in public without each other. Proof was the best man at Eminem's wedding in January, and they have been close friends since before Eminem became a superstar.
The music video for the Eminem song "Like Toy Soldiers" shows Eminem pacing a hospital hallway as doctors try to revive Proof, who has been shot. Later, Eminem attends Proof's funeral as the song's lyrics lament the escalation in violence between rappers.
It was Proof's idea to form D12, a six-member Detroit-based rap group that counts Eminem among its members.
D12 has been around since the mid-1990s, when the members met at Detroit's Hip-Hop Shop, a clothing store by day/hip-hop club by night.
Proof's family members gathered at a home on Detroit's northwest side after hearing the news of his death. The residential street in front of the two-story home was lined with vehicles, and people hugged each other on the sidewalk.
Proof was shot inside a small bar in a strip of businesses along Eight Mile, which is the dividing line between Detroit and its northern suburbs. Tate said two people were shot in the head - one fatally. He said an argument at the C.C.C. nightclub escalated into gunshots.
The other victim - a 35-year-old man - was listed in critical condition, Tate said.
Wende Berry, a spokeswoman for St. John Health System, said Holton was dead on arrival at St. John Conner Creek, an outpatient treatment facility. Berry confirmed that he had a gunshot wound.
Police said shots were fired inside the bar around 4:30 a.m. By the time officers arrived, both of the injured men had been taken from the bar in private vehicles, Tate said.
Evidence technicians and detectives remained inside the bar Tuesday morning. A spot of blood was on the street in front of the tavern, and police marked shell casings in a parking lot across the street.
Patrol officers said the bar is a frequent source of problems on the city's east side. Tate said police have taken 18 incident reports there since 1996. The latest was a vice raid in December in which six tickets were issued, most involving minors possessing or drinking alcohol.
The bar, he said, was legal, but was operating outside of its licensed hours.
Another member of Eminem's inner circle - rapper Obie Trice - was shot while driving on a Detroit-area highway in December.
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Associated Press Writer David Runk in Detroit contributed to this report.
 
Nov 7, 2003
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#16
to watch Eminem's video "Like Toy Soldiers"


Hip-hop heavyweight Eminem has spoken publicly for the first time about the murder of rapper Proof, insisting he wants to concentrate on the D-12 star's life rather than they way he died.

The 32-year-old - real name Deshaun Holton - was shot and killed at Detroit nightspot CCC on Michigan's infamous Eight Mile Road. He was pronounced dead on arrival at Conner Creek Medical Center on Tuesday morning.

Eminem counted Proof as his closest ally, and he was best man at the rapper's second wedding to Kim Mathers earlier this year.

He tells MTV, "You don't know where to begin when you lose somebody who's been such a big part of your life for so long. Proof and I were brothers.

"He pushed me to become who I am. Without Proof's guidance and encouragement there would have been a Marshall Mathers, but probably not an Eminem and certainly never a Slim Shady.

"Not a day will go by without his spirit and influence around us all. He will be missed as a friend, father and both the heart and ambassador of Detroit hip-hop."

Eminem refuses to speculate on the course of events which led to Proof's death and club bouncer Keith Bender being hospitalized in a critical condition.

He continues, "Right now, there's a lot of people focusing on the way he died. I want to remember the way he lived. Proof was funny, he was smart, he was charming. He inspired everyone around him. He can never, ever be replaced. He was, and always will be, my best friend."
 
#18
Apr 14, 3:39 PM (ET)

By TOM KRISHER DETROIT (AP) - The lawyer for a man suspected of shooting the rapper Proof during a bar fight says his client should not be charged with any crimes.
Mario Etheridge, 28, has been held by police since he surrendered Wednesday afternoon.
"They shouldn't charge him. I have heard no one say that Mario did anything wrong," attorney Randall P. Upshaw said Friday.
Upshaw said he would file court papers to seek his client's release if prosecutors don't charge him Friday afternoon. Authorities said they can hold a suspect for 48 hours without filing charges, although Upshaw said that could be as long as 72 hours.

Detroit police said they were told by witnesses in the case that Etheridge shot Proof early Tuesday after Proof shot Army veteran Keith Bender, 35, inside the CCC, a nightclub in a strip of businesses along Eight Mile Road.
The thoroughfare, which divides Detroit and its northern suburbs, was made famous in the 2002 film named for the road and starring Proof's close friend, rap superstar Eminem.
Based on witness accounts, Upshaw said the person who shot Proof was acting in defense of himself and others.
He conceded that police believe Etheridge shot Proof, whose real name is Deshaun Holton. But Upshaw would not say if Etheridge, who he said is Bender's cousin, was the shooter or if he had a weapon at the time.
Assistant Prosecutor Maria Miller said the case still was under investigation, and she did not know when a decision on charges would be made.
Proof's funeral will be held on Wednesday, said Khalid el-Hakim, vice president of Iron Fist Records, Proof's record label.
Upshaw gave this account of the shooting, based on witnesses he has questioned:
Proof and Bender were playing pool, and Proof was losing. Words were exchanged, and Proof grabbed Bender by the face, shoved him and then hit him. As Bender tried to defend himself, Proof pulled a handgun and "pistol whipped" Bender, then shot him in the temple.
"As Proof stood over him with the weapon, someone came to Mr. Bender's aid and someone shot Proof," Upshaw said.
Most witnesses told investigators that a fight broke out between Bender and Proof, and that Proof struck Bender with a handgun before shooting him once in the head, said Detroit police spokesman James Tate.



Investigators believe the shootings took place around 4:30 a.m. as the club was operating after its licensed hours.
A message was left Friday for Proof's lawyer, David J. Gorosh, who previously has said that the police investigation will clear the rapper's name.
At a news conference attended by performers and employees of Iron Fist Records, el-Hakim said the rapper was not known to carry a gun or have a temper.
"He wouldn't get angry over a pool game," el-Hakim said.
Eminem issued a statement Friday saying that Proof, 32, was his best friend and helped make him a star.
"He pushed me to become who I am. Without Proof's guidance and encouragement there would have been a Marshall Mathers, but probably not an Eminem and certainly never a Slim Shady," the statement said. "Not a day will go by without his spirit and influence around us all. He will be missed as a friend, father and both the heart and ambassador of Detroit hip-hop."
"He inspired everyone around him. He can never, ever be replaced. He was, and always will be, my best friend," the statement said.
Proof was a member of the rap group D12 and was the best man in Eminem's January wedding.