Opening arguments began on Monday in the trial of Mario Etheridge, the man who shot and killed D12 rapper Proof earlier this year.
As previously reported, Etheridge is not on trial for murder but for carrying a concealed weapon and illegally firing a weapon in an occupied building. Prosecutors announced back in May that Etheridge would not be charged with killing the rapper, real name Deshaun Holton, as he acted lawfully in defence of his cousin Keith Bender, who was, of course, shot by Holton on Eight Mile Road that night, dying in hospital a week later.
According to prosecutor Elizabeth Walker, however, Etheridge sparked the chain of events leading to the death of both Holton and Bender. She claims Proof did not reach for his weapon until Etheridge heightened the tension by firing warning shots into the ceiling of the CCC Club, and, Walker argues, taking the incident "up a notch". She added: "That was the first display, the first use, the first time anyone knew about a weapon".
If convicted, Etheridge could face up to five years in prison for carrying a concealed weapon, and four years for discharging a firearm in an occupied building.