A social media influencer, known for his racist and provocative public tirades against Black people, has been accused of shooting a man outside a courthouse in Tennessee.
Dalton Eatherly — who goes by “Chud the Builder” online and is known for trying to provoke people during his livestreams by saying racial slurs — was taken to hospital Wednesday after a physical altercation resulted in gunfire, the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office said.
Deputies responded to a report of shots fired at around 1.20 p.m. at the Montgomery County Courthouse, and found two men with gunshot wounds.
District Attorney General Robert Nash told local outlet Clarksville Now that Eatherly opened fire and appeared to have shot himself in the arm during the incident.
The 28-year-old was taken to Vanderbilt Clarksville Hospital for treatment while the other man, who has not yet been identified, was airlifted to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville.
The Independent has contacted the Montgomery County Sheriff’s office and the Tennessee District Attorney General’s Office for further information. It’s not yet clear if anyone has been charged.
In audio shared online after the alleged incident, Eatherly was heard claiming he had acted “in self defense” and claimed the other individual had “hit me and started wailing on me.”
“I will defend my life with lethal force. Do not approach me with intent to threaten bodily harm,” he wrote on his X account last week.
The Independent has attempted to contact representatives for Eatherly for comment.
The alleged incident outside the courthouse comes less than a week after Eatherly was arrested and accused refusing to pay almost $400 in a tab at a Nashville restaurant Saturday night.
According to his arrest affidavit, the restaurant staff and security manager told police they had asked Eatherly not to be disruptive or livestream while he was being served, according to local NBC affiliate WSMV.
He went on to order two full entrees, drinks and appetizers that amounted to a $371.55 bill, the police report said. The restaurant workers then realized that he had allegedly been live streaming on the crypto trading platform pump.fun the entire time, and asked him to stop.
Eatherly allegedly became disruptive at the request and began to make racial statements, yell and cause a scene. He then said, “I’m not paying if you are kicking me out,” according to the affidavit.
