A Tennessee man notorious for creating racist social media content faces attempted murder charges following a Wednesday shooting outside a courthouse in Clarksville.
Dalton Eatherly, who uses the online name Chud the Builder, creates social media videos where he harasses Black pedestrians with racial slurs and offensive language. The white man was taken into custody Wednesday following a violent confrontation with another individual.
Law enforcement officers responded to gunfire reports near the Montgomery County Courthouse around 1:20 p.m. Wednesday. Sheriff’s deputies apprehended two individuals who had been involved in a “physical altercation that escalated to gunfire,” according to an official statement from the sheriff’s department. Both individuals suffered gunshot injuries and were transported to different medical facilities, where their conditions were reported as stable.
District Attorney General Robert Nash confirmed in a separate statement that Eatherly was one of the parties involved. Officials refused to provide details about the second individual; however, an eyewitness who observed him being placed in an ambulance said he appeared to be Black.
Neither Nash nor sheriff’s officials have revealed what triggered the confrontation. It remains unclear whether Eatherly has legal representation for this case. The courthouse remained closed Thursday due to the incident, and digital records had not been updated. A lawyer who has represented Eatherly in another matter did not respond to requests for comment.
In an audio recording Eatherly shared on social media shortly after the incident, he claims he fired his weapon in self-defense after the other person began attacking him physically. The recording captures Eatherly speaking with emergency medical personnel, with one paramedic noting the entry and exit wounds from a bullet in his arm.
“Did I shoot myself or did it graze it?” Eatherly asks in the recording.
Following his hospital discharge Wednesday, Eatherly was transported to the Montgomery County detention facility. His charges include attempted murder, using a firearm during a dangerous felony, aggravated assault and reckless endangerment with a deadly weapon.
Officials did not provide Thursday updates on the other man’s medical status, and a hospital representative cited medical privacy regulations that prevent them from sharing information about violence victims.
In a previous online fundraising campaign, Eatherly complained that his contracting business struggles to find work because people disapprove of his video content. He describes his content as “mild jokes” and acknowledges using racial slurs while characterizing it as “harmless humor.” The fundraiser’s original posting date is unknown. He directed his appeal to “friends, supporters, and champions of free speech.”
While Eatherly frequently mentions free speech in his online posts, his actions in those videos may violate Tennessee criminal statutes, according to David Raybin, a criminal defense lawyer and former prosecutor with expertise in state criminal law. Since Eatherly was known to openly display a pistol while verbally attacking people, this combination could constitute assault, Raybin explained.
“You don’t have to touch someone,” he noted. Assault charges can apply when someone “create[s] fear of imminent harm.”
Additionally, approaching someone with “fighting words” qualifies as disorderly conduct under Nashville city laws.
Claire Martin, who works at a law firm across from the courthouse, witnessed the shooting’s aftermath. She noted that Eatherly has gained local notoriety for shouting racial slurs at Black individuals while recording them. Eatherly frequently engages in similar behavior in downtown Nashville, located approximately 50 miles southeast.
The previous Saturday, Eatherly was removed from a Nashville steakhouse after refusing to stop broadcasting live video from inside the establishment. A police affidavit stated he began shouting and “making racial statements” before departing without settling a bill of nearly $400. He was arrested the next day on charges of theft of services, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. He was freed on $5,000 bond.
On the morning of the shooting, he was scheduled for a Clarksville court appearance regarding an alleged $3,300 debt to a credit company, based on Montgomery County court documents. The civil lawsuit was initiated in February on behalf of Midland Credit Management. Court records do not show whether Eatherly attended the status hearing. Digital records show the case remains active. The shooting happened several hours afterward.
Eatherly was not appearing in online court records as of Thursday afternoon, but following typical Montgomery County procedures, he will likely face arraignment Friday. A judge will determine bond conditions at that time.
While police have not disclosed what preceded the shooting, if Eatherly is determined to have instigated the confrontation with the other person, proving self-defense would be extremely challenging, according to Raybin, the criminal defense specialist. In any case, individuals only have the legal right to use lethal force when facing threats of death or serious bodily injury.
“I think a prosecutor would give very little weight to claims of self-defense,” Raybin stated.
