Proof, a member of the Eminem-fronted Detroit-based hip-hop sextet D12, was killed early Tuesday morning outside a Detroit nightclub in a shooting that left another man in critical condition.

According to a spokesperson for the Detroit Police Department, Proof (real name: DeShaun Holton) suffered a gunshot wound to the head at the CCC Club on East Eight Mile Road, near Gratiot Avenue. By the time police arrived just after 5 a.m., the club ? which was operating illegally, after hours ? had been cleared out, but several witnesses have come forward to discuss the incident with investigators.

The police spokesperson said only that "an altercation occurred [inside the club], and shots rang out," but would not discuss the shooting further, as the 30-year-old rapper's next of kin have not yet been notified.

Both victims (the other man's name has not been released) were transported to hospitals; Proof was rushed to St. John Holy Cross Hospital, while the second victim, who is 35 and also sustained a gunshot to the head, was taken to St. John Hospital, where he's listed as being in critical condition. Proof was pronounced dead on arrival.

Proof, Eminem's longtime friend, appeared in the film "8 Mile" as Lil' Tic; he also served as Eminem's best man when the rapper remarried his wife Kim Mathers in January (see "Eminem Remarries Ex-Wife Kim Mathers"). Eminem filed for divorce last week.

Police are searching for the suspected gunman; a description has not been made available. Detectives have asked that anyone with any information on the shooting come forward.

The shooting is the second in three months to involve a member of Eminem's inner circle. Em protégé Obie Trice was shot and wounded New Year's Eve while riding with his girlfriend along a Detroit freeway (see "Obie Trice Recovering From New Year's Eve Shooting"); police have yet to make an arrest in connection with that incident, which remains under investigation. One of D12's original members, Bugz (real name: Kornail Pitts) was shot and killed on May 21, 1999, during a picnic at Detroit's Belle Isle Park.

According to the Detroit Free Press, several Detroit hip-hop DJs, radio personalities, rappers and producers, as well as Eminem and Obie Trice, planned to meet with Proof's family at the hospital on Tuesday morning (April 11). D12 was set to begin work on its third album this month.

MTV News will have more on this developing story throughout the day.


This report is provided by MTV News