A remark on an identity involving products of binomial coefficients (Q6082513)

In this short note, the author gives two proofs of the identity \[ \sum_{k=0}^n \left(-1\right)^{n-k} \binom{n}{k} \binom{a_1 + b_1 k}{n_1} \cdots \binom{a_r + b_r k}{n_r} = \left(\prod_{i=1}^r b_i^{n_i}\right) \binom{n}{n_1, \ldots, n_r} , \] where \(n_1, n_2, \ldots, n_r\) are \(r\) nonnegative integers, \(n = n_1 + n_2 + \cdots + n_r\) is their sum, and \(a_i\) and \(b_i\) are arbitrary (e.g. real) numbers for each \(i \in \left\{1,2,\ldots,n\right\}\). (The notation \(\binom{n}{n_1, \ldots, n_r}\) denotes the multinomial coefficient \(\frac{n!}{n_1! n_2! \cdots n_r!}\).) The first proof reduces this (easily) to the well-known finite-difference identity \[ \sum_{k=0}^n \left(-1\right)^{n-k} \binom{n}{k} P\left(k\right) = n! c_n , \] which holds for any polynomial \(P\) of degree \(\leq n\) whose \(x^n\)-coefficient is \(c_n\). The second proof uses the residue theorem for rational functions. As a particular case of the identity, the main lemma from a recent article [\textit{B. Ebanks} and \textit{A. E. Kézdy}, Aequationes Math. 95, No. 6, 1053--1065 (2021; Zbl 1475.39001)] is given a simple proof (which greatly simplifies the latter article).