The man allegedly shot by Proof dies

The man allegedly shot by Detroit rapper Proof before Proof himself was killed by a third party last week died early Tuesday.

Keith Bender, 35, of Detroit, had been in critical condition at the St. John Hospital and Medical Center in Detroit since the shooting , the Detroit Free Press reported.

Police say Proof, whose real name was Deshawn Holton, shot Bender during an illegal after-hours party at the C.C.C. club.
According to police, eye witnesses said Proof, born Deshaun Holton, got into an argument over a pool game and pistol-whipped 35-year-old Keith Bender Jr. That was when Mario Etheridge - who is Bender's cousin and a security guard at the bar - allegedly opened fire.

Lawyers for Proof have vigorously denied eye witness accounts that he fired first.

Etheridge, pleaded not guilty on Saturday (15.04.06) to two counts of carrying a concealed weapon and the discharge of a firearm in a building. The 28-year-old turned himself in last week after firing the fatal shots in what he claims was an act of self-defence.

Etheridge claims he was acting in self-defense. He faces a maximum of five years in prison.

A preliminary hearing takes place April 26.

A viewing and funeral for Proof takes place today (April 18) and tomorrow (April 19) at the Fellowship Chapel in Detroit.

Detroit police, said they would beef up security for today's viewing.

'Anytime you have a funeral of a person who is publicly known, it calls for extra security to handle crowd control,' police spokesman James Tate told the Free Press. 'This definitely is not the first type of funeral we would handle in this type of manner.'

City officials also announced Tuesday they would move to close C.C.C., which has been the site of several raids, and crack down on illegal after-hours drinking spots around Detroit reports Monster & Critics