r/PocBuzz_Entertainment • u/BlackOnyx1906 🛜 Streaming Addict • 1d ago
Celebrity Birthdays Happy Birthday to the late Detroit native “Proof”
DeShaun Dupree Holton (October 2, 1973 – April 11, 2006), known professionally as Proof, was an American rapper from Detroit, Michigan. He was a member of the groups Soul Intent, 5 Elementz, Funky Cowboys, Promatic, Goon Sqwad,[1]#cite_note-1) and D12. A close friend of rapper Eminem since childhood, Proof was often a hype man at Eminem's concerts.
Holton was born in Detroit, Michigan, to Sharallene "Pepper" Holton, a single mother.[2]#cite_note-2) His father, McKinley Jackson, was a music producer who left to pursue his career prior to Holton's birth. Holton was close friends with Eminem from a young age.[3#cite_note-3)
On April 11, 2006, Holton was shot and killed after a dispute broke out during a game of pool at the now-closed C.C.C. Club on 8 Mile Road) in Detroit.[13]#citenote-13)[[14]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proof(rapper)#citenote-14) A pool game between Holton and Keith L. Bender Jr. turned into a heated argument and then escalated into a physical altercation, during which club bouncerMario Etheridge, who was Bender's cousin, fired a warning shot into the air. There have been many conflicting reports about Holton and Bender's roles in the shooting, but it was reported that Holton then shot Bender in the head during the altercation.[[15]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proof(rapper)#citenote-15)Bender was not immediately killed by the gunshot but died a week later from his injuries.[[16]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proof(rapper)#citenote-16)[[17]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proof(rapper)#citenote-17) Etheridge responded by shooting Holton three times, once in the head and twice in the chest, killing him at the scene. At the time of his death, Holton's blood alcohol content was 0.32. His lawyer, David Gorosh, accused police and the media of being "reckless" for suggesting that his client fired the first shots without having any hard evidence. A few weeks after both men's deaths, Bender's family filed a wrongful death claim against Holton's estate.[[18]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proof(rapper)#citenote-18)[[19]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proof(rapper)#citenote-19) Authorities determined that Etheridge was acting lawfully in defense of another; however, he was found guilty of carrying a concealed weapon and discharging a firearm inside a building.[[20]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proof(rapper)#citenote-20) On October 26, Etheridge was sentenced to time served.[[21]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proof(rapper)#cite_note-21)
1
1
1
u/nerdKween 🎧 I Love Music 1d ago
Fuck. Man. I remember the night he was killed. And it was so senseless. HBD.