LOCAL Eminem Pays Tribute To Proof

from CNN

Eminem has praised rapper Proof, who was shot dead earlier this week, for his "guidance and encouragement," calling him "my best friend," in a posting on his Web site.

Proof, whose real name is Deshaun Holton, was killed early Tuesday in a shooting at the CCC, a nightclub in a strip of businesses along Eight Mile.

The 32-year-old rapper, a member of D12, was the best man in Eminem's January wedding. Seldom was Eminem seen in public without Proof.

Police have said that Proof fired the first bullet inside the nightclub, touching off a shootout that ended his life. The bullet hit Keith Bender, 35, in the head, critically injuring him, police said. Bender remained in critical condition.

Most of the 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. Detectives were looking into whether the fight was over a pool game, but they have not settled on a single theory. A suspect in Proof's death remains in police custody.