According to witnesses, on April 11th, Bender got into a heated confrontation with Proof at C.C.C., a club along Eight Mile Road in Detroit. Eminem protege Proof reportedly shot Bender in the head after arguing about a pool game.

Bender's cousin and also a bouncer at the club, Mario Etheridge, then spot Proof three times in the head and chest. The shots proved fatal and the rapper was pronounced dead at a near by hospital upon arrival.

Etheridge's attorney told the Detroit Free Press that his client should not be charged for shooting the rapper because he was acting in self defense to save his cousin. Etheridge was not charged with murder but was instead arraigned on two felony gun counts, carrying a concealed weapon and discharging a firearm inside a building.

The shootings are still under investigation and Etheridge could still face murder charges, however Michigan law does allow for the use of deadly force if used in an attempt to protect the life of another individual. If convicted on the gun charges, Etheridge faces up to five years in prison.