It appears the burden is on Proof.

Authorities in Detroit confirmed today that the D12 rapper instigated a deadly nightclub shooting early Tuesday that left him dead and another man critically injured with a bullet wound to the head.

The incident occurred at club C.C.C. along Eight Mile--a road immortalized by Proof's longtime pal Eminem in his hit semi-autobiographical film--at approximately 4:30 a.m., after the bar remained open illegally past its regular business hours.

The 32-year-old Proof, whose real name was Deshaun Holton, was rushed to Holy Cross Hospital in a private vehicle, but was pronounced dead on arrival. The second victim, 35-year-old Keith Bender, is still reportedly touch-and-go at St. John Conner Creek Hospital.

According to Detroit police spokesman Sergeant Omar Feliciano, detectives on the scene have determined the hip-hopster was the first to draw a gun and started shooting at Bender after the two got into a heated argument.

Police also said that Proof's shooter, Mario Etheridge, 28, has turned himself in for questioning. Etheridge is a bouncer at the club and was related to Bender.

A previous press report stating Proof was licensed to carry a firearm was false, the police spokesperson added. No other details were made available.

However, reports in the Detroit Free Press and AllHipHop.com shed a bit more light on the incident.

The Free Press says Proof pistol-whipped Bender, a former Army staff sergeant, before firing.

"Proof knocked the dude down and stood over him with gun in hand," a source close to the rapper is quoted by AllHipHop.com. "Proof shot first...Proof was shot four times--twice in the head and twice in the chest/stomach area."

Bender, who was discharged from the Army due to a heart condition, was at the club to celebrate that he no longer needed a defibrillator for a heart condition, his sister-in-law told the Detroit News.

According to police, the venue has racked up 18 incident reports since 1996, including a vice raid in December that netted citations, mostly for underage drinking.

In the wake of Tuesday's slaying, Snoop Dogg has called for unity among the hip-hop faithful.

"He was a part of the hip-hop family," said the Doggfather at the MTV Australia Music Awards. "We can't stop [the violence...but we can] try to be as positive as we can and do good things with our lives. I just know that every time somebody gets killed in hip-hop, we should look at it as a tragedy. There's nothing we can do to stop it as hip-hop artists, but be who we are and continue to make our good music."

Proof played a critical part in Eminem's transformation from budding freestylist who performed at Detroit-area rap battles into a rap superstar. Because of their long history together, Slim Shady considered the rapper his best friend.

"Proof was really the guy who got Eminem to be a rapper," Anthony Bozza, author of the Eminem biography Whatever You Say I Am, told ABC News Radio. "He really keeps only a few close people around him, so losing one of them is going to be completely devastating to him."

Aside from cofounding the Detroit rap collective D12 with Eminem, Proof appeared in several of his friend's music videos, including "The Real Slim Shady," "Without Me" and "Like Toy Soldiers," the last of which featured a scene showing Eminem attending Proof's funeral.

Em also asked his prot?g? to be his best man at his second wedding in January to ex-wife Kim Mathers, which just flamed last week.

Proof also served as inspiration for Mekhi Pfeiffer's character, Future, in 8 Mile. Proof also had a bit part as Lil' Tic, the wordsmith who smacked down Em in one of the movie's early contests.

After topping the charts with two D12 albums, Devil's Night and D12 World, Proof struck out on his own and released his debut album, Searching for Jerry Garcia, to wide acclaim last summer. He was expected to rejoin D12 in the studio later this month to begin work on their third album.

A rep for D12's record label said plans for a memorial service will be announced very soon.

Proof is survived by five children.