Witnesses reportedly told Detroit police investigators that, before he was fatally shot early Tuesday (4/11) morning, D12 [ tickets ] rapper Proof [ tickets ] pistol-whipped and shot a man.

The Detroit Free Press reported Wednesday morning (4/12) that the man Proof allegedly shot, Keith Bender, Jr., remained in critical condition.

The incident took place at about 4:30 a.m. at CCC, a nightclub on Detroit's 8 Mile Road.

Meanwhile, some of Bender's relatives--in a scenario that police reportedly confirmed--told The Detroit News that Bender and the rapper argued before the first shots were fired. A third man evidently then shot and killed Proof, 32.

Proof, whose real name was Deshaun Holton, rose to prominence after multi-platinum rapper Eminem [ tickets ], a close friend and fellow Detroit native, signed D12 to a record deal and appeared on the group's 2001 debut album. That disc, "Devil's Night," sold 4 million copies worldwide, and spawned the hit "Purple Pills."

Prior to his success with D12, Proof (a.k.a. Big Proof and Derty Harry) had already made a name for himself by winning The Source's 1999 Unsigned Hype award, and was widely considered Detroit's hip-hop "godfather."