A man who identifies as “Chud the Builder” and frequently livestreams himself using racial slurs against Black individuals in public was taken into custody following a shooting incident outside a courthouse in Clarksville, Tennessee, on Wednesday, according to authorities.
Confrontation Leads to Gunfire
District Attorney Robert J. Nash confirmed that Dalton Eatherly and an unidentified man were involved in a confrontation that escalated to gunfire. However, Nash declined to provide details about why Eatherly was at the courthouse or what precipitated the altercation.
Police did not disclose the race of the other man, but a witness who observed him being loaded into an ambulance described him as Black.
The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reported that both individuals were transported to hospitals for medical care and were in stable condition.
Witness Account
Claire Martin, who works in a law office across from the courthouse, described Eatherly as “well known in Clarksville for antagonizing people to see what he can get them to do.” She stated that he “yells racial slurs” at people while recording them, adding, “He’s not a contributing member of society.”
Martin did not witness the altercation but saw the aftermath. She noted that the other man “waved at us as he got in the ambulance.”
Eatherly’s Online Activity
In a video posted on the website Pump.fun on Wednesday, Eatherly claimed he shot a man in self-defense after the individual began hitting him.
Jacob Fendley, an attorney listed in court records as representing Eatherly in a separate harassment case from November, did not immediately return a phone message.
Court records indicate Eatherly had a scheduled court appearance Wednesday morning in Clarksville regarding a $3,300 debt allegedly owed to a credit company. The civil case was filed in February by Midland Credit Management. It remains unclear if Eatherly attended the hearing, and online records list the case as open.
Pattern of Racist Behavior
Eatherly, who is white, regularly livestreams confrontations on social media, where he can be seen and heard making racially derogatory statements toward Black individuals in public settings.
In one video recorded at a market, he says to a passing Black man, “You chimpin’ out,” a reference to chimpanzees, and repeatedly uses the N-word. The Black man records the encounter on his cellphone, telling Eatherly, “Don’t touch me.”
A clerk tells Eatherly that such language is not permitted, to which he responds, “America is free speech. Tell me I can’t say something again. This is (expletive) America.”
Historically, racists in the United States and other countries have compared Black people to monkeys or apes. In February, President Donald Trump posted a racist social media image featuring former President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle Obama, as primates in a jungle. The post was deleted after bipartisan criticism.
Additional Legal Troubles
In addition to the debt case, Eatherly faces a criminal case stemming from an incident at a Nashville steakhouse on Saturday, where he allegedly became unruly and refused to pay a nearly $400 bill.
According to an affidavit, the restaurant had asked him not to livestream inside, but he did so anyway. When asked to stop, he began yelling, screaming, and “started making racial statements.” He was arrested on Sunday and charged with theft of services, disorderly conduct, and resisting arrest, then released on $5,000 bond. His next court appearance in that case is scheduled for July 17 in Davidson County criminal court.
Medical Response
The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reported that one of the two men involved in Wednesday’s shooting was taken to Vanderbilt of Clarksville Hospital for treatment. The other was transported by Lifeflight to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville. Hospital spokesperson Craig Boerner cited medical privacy laws in declining to disclose information about victims of violence.
