Man held in Proof shooting

Mario Etheridge, 28, was charged Friday with weapon violations in a Detroit shooting earlier this week that took the life of hip-hop artist Proof, a close friend of Eminem.

Assistant prosecutor Maria Miller said that without the charges -- carrying a concealed weapon and discharge of a firearm in a building -- authorities would have had to release Etheridge from custody. She would not comment when asked if more charges are possible.

Etheridge turned himself in on Wednesday, and his attorney said he has done nothing wrong and should not be charged.

Detroit police said they were told by witnesses in the case that Etheridge shot Proof early Tuesday morning after Proof shot Keith Bender, 35, inside a nightclub. Eminem issued a statement Friday saying that Proof, 32, helped make him a star. “Without Proof’s guidance and encouragement there would have been a Marshall Mathers but probably not an Eminem and certainly never a Slim Shady,” the statement said. “He was, and always will be, my best friend.”