Dalton Eatherly, a social media personality who goes by “Chud the Builder” and has gained notoriety for posting videos using racial slurs, was taken into custody Wednesday after a confrontation outside the Montgomery County Courthouse in Clarksville, Tennessee, resulted in gunfire, authorities said.
The incident unfolded shortly after 1:15 p.m., according to 19th Judicial District Attorney General Robert Nash. Both Mr. Eatherly and another man were taken for medical treatment, though their conditions were not immediately known.
Mr. Nash said Mr. Eatherly was the one who opened fire and appears to have shot himself in the arm in the process. Mr. Eatherly was taken into custody and removed from the scene by ambulance, while the other victim was airlifted by LifeFlight.
Mr. Eatherly claimed he was jumped outside the courthouse and fired in self-defense, accidentally wounding himself during the altercation. He was livestreaming at the time and remained online as he spoke with emergency personnel in the aftermath.
Mr. Nash’s office said it will conduct a thorough review and, if appropriate, present the facts to a grand jury for a charging decision. Montgomery County Mayor Wes Golden said he was grateful all courthouse employees were safe.
Mr. Eatherly, 28, is a Clarksville contractor known for posting videos of himself directing racial slurs at people and flashing his firearm. He had also falsely claimed during at least one of his online confrontations to be affiliated with the Clarksville Police Department, prompting the department to issue a statement in November 2025 clarifying that Mr. Eatherly had no connection to the agency.
The courthouse shooting came days after a separate run-in with police. Mr. Eatherly was arrested in Nashville after he allegedly ordered nearly $400 worth of food at Bob’s Steak and Chop House and refused to pay the tab. He was charged with theft of services, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest, and was released on a $5,000 bond.
Court records show Mr. Eatherly was at the courthouse Wednesday for a civil case in which he was the defendant, being sued by Midland Credit Management Inc. He also has a separate outstanding criminal case on a harassment charge.
The investigation is ongoing.
This article was constructed with the assistance of artificial intelligence and published by a member of The Washington Times’ AI News Desk team. The contents of this report are based solely on The Washington Times’ original reporting, wire services, and/or other sources cited within the report. For more information, please read our AI policy or contact Steve Fink, Director of Artificial Intelligence, at sfink@washingtontimes.com
The Washington Times AI Ethics Newsroom Committee can be reached at aispotlight@washingtontimes.com.
