The family of the second victim in the shootout that left D-12 rapper Proof dead has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Proof’s estate.
Police say Proof (born Deshaun Holton) shot Keith Bender, Jr. on Aprill 11 at Detroit’s CCC club, just before being gunned down allegedly by Bender’s cousin and club security guard, Mario Etheridge. Proof was pronounced dead on arrival at a nearby hospital while Bender died one week later.
In the lawsuit, filed Monday (May 1), Bender’s widow, Jacqueline, and his mother, Leona, alleged that Proof “violently assaulted and battered [Bender], culminating with the infliction of a gunshot injury that caused the death of Mr. Bender,” according to The Associated Press.
Also Read
Compact Discs: Sound of the Future
“It is shameful that Mr. Holton is being lauded as a hero and martyr, when, in fact, it was his own criminalistic conduct that not only led to his death, but took the life of an honorable, innocent man,” Michael Cafferty, a lawyer for Bender’s family, said, according to the AP.
No word on what sort of compensation the Bender family is seeking.
Get SPIN.com headlines for FREE on your mobile phone! Just text SPIN to 68423 to sign up. It’s one message per day, Monday thru Friday, bringing you all the news that rocks, minus the carpal tunnel.
