Proof Shooting Suspect Charged

The man suspected of shooting D-12 rapper Proof has been charged with carrying a concealed weapon and discharge of a firearm – but not murder.

The Wayne County, Michigan, prosecutor's office charged Detroit's CCC Club bouncer Mario Etheridge, 28, on Friday, but called for the public to stay calm as their investigations into the fatal shooting on Tuesday morning continue.

Prosecutor Kym Worthy has released a statement saying, “Our investigation in this case is far from over. As Gandhi said, 'An eye for an eye for an eye would make the whole world blind.' I am making a personal plea to the public to let the legal process take course.

“We do not want people taking the law into their own hands. The worst thing that could happen now would be to compound this situation by having any more senseless deaths."

However, Etheridge’s attorney Randall Upshaw, who has joined the police in indicating his client acted after Proof pistol-whipped a fellow club-goer, has criticised the charges.

He says, "This is very, very ridiculous. If he discharged the weapon wrongfully and killed someone, charge him with a homicide or an assault. If he didn't discharge it wrongfully, don't charge him."