CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. — A livestreamer infamous for posting videos laced with racial slurs found himself at the center of a violent confrontation outside a Tennessee courthouse on Wednesday, resulting in a shooting that left both him and another man wounded, authorities said.
The incident unfolded in front of the Montgomery County Courthouse in Clarksville, where Dalton Eatherly, who operates online under the moniker Chud the Builder, clashed with an unidentified man, according to the Tennessee District Attorney General’s Office. Both individuals were shot during the altercation and transported to nearby hospitals, where they were reported to be in stable condition, the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office confirmed.
Details on how the shooting occurred remain murky as investigators piece together the sequence of events. The DA’s office identified Eatherly as a suspect in the case, though it has not specified potential charges at this time. Officials emphasized that the matter is still under active investigation and declined to say who fired the shots.
In a video Eatherly livestreamed shortly after the shooting, as first responders attended to him, he claimed self-defense. “I had to defend myself by shooting him,” Eatherly said in the footage, which quickly circulated on social media. He described walking past a group of people, including the man involved, who he said were “laughing” and “pointing at me.”
According to Eatherly’s account in the video, he approached the group, prompting the man to initially tell him to walk away. The man then returned, Eatherly recounted, saying, “I have PTSD.” Eatherly alleged that the man threatened him over his online rhetoric, stating, “You start saying all that chimp out s**t to me and ‘imma hit you,’ and he hit me, he started whaling on me.” Eatherly’s online content frequently includes derogatory references to Black people as “chimps,” a term he has used in multiple videos.
The confrontation marks the latest in a string of incidents involving Eatherly, whose provocative livestreams have drawn widespread condemnation. Just days earlier, on Saturday, Eatherly was ejected from a restaurant in Nashville after staff asked him to stop filming and causing a disturbance, according to an affidavit filed in the case.
Prosecutors in that Nashville incident described Eatherly as a livestreamer “who filmed content, including racially charged content” on social media. The affidavit details how, when restaurant employees instructed him to cease live-streaming inside the establishment, Eatherly became “disruptive and started making racial statements, yelling, screaming” and creating a scene that upset other patrons.
Refusing to comply, Eatherly allegedly declared, “I’m not paying if you are kicking me out,” and left without settling his bill, which totaled $371.55, the affidavit states. A few hours later, officers located him walking along a street in Nashville. When they informed him of his arrest and attempted to handcuff him, Eatherly pulled his arm away, leading to charges of theft of services, disorderly conduct, and resisting arrest, according to the document.
He was taken into custody without further resistance and later released on a $5,000 bond, as ordered by a judge. This episode in Nashville underscores a pattern in Eatherly’s behavior, where his online persona spills into real-world interactions, often escalating tensions.
Eatherly’s digital footprint reveals a history of inflammatory content that has alienated even figures within far-right circles. Videos posted on platforms like X show him using racial slurs repeatedly, including at least one instance last week where he sprayed what appeared to be a chemical agent at a Black man who had knocked off his hat. In that footage, Eatherly could be heard calling the man the N-word multiple times amid the altercation.
Such actions have not gone unnoticed or unchallenged. Even Nick Fuentes, a prominent white nationalist and Holocaust denier known for his podcast, has publicly distanced himself from Eatherly’s tactics. During a recent episode, when asked about Eatherly, Fuentes responded, “I don’t like that approach of antagonizing people in public … I think it’s wrong, it’s unethical.”
The courthouse shooting has raised questions about the intersection of online extremism and public safety. Clarksville, a city of about 170,000 residents located roughly 50 miles northwest of Nashville, is home to Fort Campbell, a major U.S. Army base, and has seen its share of community tensions. While the DA’s office has not linked the incident directly to Eatherly’s online activities, the timing—coming on the heels of his Nashville arrest—has fueled speculation among observers.
Local law enforcement has urged the public to avoid drawing conclusions until the investigation concludes. “We are committed to a thorough review of all evidence,” a spokesperson for the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office said, without providing additional details on timelines or witness statements.
As Eatherly recovers in the hospital, he remains in custody, his future legal battles hanging in the balance. The unidentified man involved in the shooting has not been publicly named, and his condition, while stable, limits further comment from authorities. This event serves as a stark reminder of how digital provocations can manifest in unpredictable and dangerous ways offline.
Beyond the immediate facts, the case highlights ongoing debates about free speech, accountability on social media, and the responsibilities of platforms hosting controversial content. Eatherly’s videos, which have garnered attention from both supporters and critics, illustrate the challenges in moderating speech that veers into harassment or incitement.
Investigators continue to examine surveillance footage from the courthouse area, witness accounts, and Eatherly’s own recordings. The DA’s office indicated that charges, if filed, could range from assault to more serious weapons-related offenses, depending on forensic findings. For now, the community in Clarksville awaits clarity in a story that blends the virtual world of livestreaming with the harsh realities of physical confrontations.