Livestreamer Accused of Racist Rants Faces Murder Charge After Courthouse Shooting with $1.25M Bail

A livestreamer known for sharing videos containing racist content online appeared in court on Friday morning facing serious charges, including attempted murder, after he shot a man outside a Tennessee courthouse, according to authorities.

Dalton Eatherly, who goes by the online name “Chud the Builder,” got into an argument with another man, identified as Joshua Fox, outside the Montgomery County Courthouse in Clarksville on Wednesday afternoon, according to an arrest warrant. Eatherly, 28, turned his body “in a bladed stance” toward Fox and reached for a firearm in his jacket pocket, leading to a physical altercation, the warrant stated. Eatherly fired his weapon, and Fox was struck multiple times, according to the document.

Fox, who is Black, is a disabled veteran and “a loving father of three amazing children whose life has been severely impacted by this injustice,” said his mother, Carolyn Smith.

The livestreamer now faces additional charges, including using a firearm during a dangerous felony, aggravated assault, and reckless endangerment with a deadly weapon, according to the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office.

During his arraignment and bond hearing, General Session Court Judge Reid Poland III set a $1.25 million bond, citing the number of people in the courtyard at the courthouse and the severity of the felonies. Eatherly, wearing a marked Montgomery County Jail jumpsuit, could be seen closing his eyes for a while when the judge announced the bond amount.

Attempted criminal homicide carries a possible sentence of 15 to 60 years in a Tennessee state penitentiary, the judge said.

Eatherly’s history on social media reveals a pattern of posting videos where he uses racial slurs against Black people and other minorities. In at least one instance, he used force against a Black person. The streamer often refers to Black people as “chimps” in his online videos.

After the shooting, Eatherly livestreamed himself speaking to first responders. He recounted walking past a group of people who he claimed were “laughing” and “pointing at me.” Eatherly said he was told to walk away by one unidentified man in the group, who then approached him, saying, “I have PTSD.”

“He said, ‘You start saying all that chimp out s**t to me and ‘Imma hit you,’ and he hit me. He started whaling on me, even after I had to defend myself by shooting him,” Eatherly said in the video.

Fox, who was initially detained along with Eatherly before being released, was flown to Vanderbilt University Medical Center and underwent emergency surgery, according to the warrant. Eatherly was also wounded by gunfire and taken to a hospital, the sheriff’s office said.

In a statement to CryptoLiveDaily, Fox’s mother thanked “our community and the many individuals across the globe who have supported my son during this incredibly difficult time.” She asked the public to continue to respect the family’s privacy as they focus on healing.

“We remain confident that justice will prevail. As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, ‘Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,’” she said.

When shots were fired around 1:20 p.m., there were also several innocent bystanders in the area, and surveillance video of the incident shows “a ricocheting projectile hitting nearby walls,” the warrant revealed. CryptoLiveDaily has not been able to view the surveillance video.

A preliminary hearing for Eatherly was set for May 26.

Attorney Jake Fendley was appointed to represent Eatherly at the hearing. Court records show he has represented Eatherly in the past.

In a statement hours after the hearing, Fendley told CryptoLiveDaily he couldn’t share much about the case as it’s still pending but added he became Eatherly’s attorney after the Public Defender’s office filed a motion to withdraw from the case.

Fendley said his office has been receiving hateful phone calls and emails since he was appointed to Eatherly, but his role “is to represent people regardless of their race, religion, ideology, or allegations against them.”

“This entire case is disturbing. Racism is a terrible thing and it’s a flawed method of thinking,” the attorney’s statement reads in part.

Previous arrest tied to restaurant incident

Eatherly’s previous arrest came after another incident on Saturday, when he was kicked out of a restaurant in Nashville and later arrested and charged with theft of services, disorderly conduct, and resisting arrest, according to an affidavit.

Prosecutors in that case described him as a livestreamer who “filmed content, including racially charged content” on social media, an affidavit said.

Eatherly had been asked by restaurant staff not to livestream or be disruptive inside the establishment but did so anyway, the affidavit says. When he was told to stop livestreaming, Eatherly became “disruptive and started making racial statements, yelling, screaming” and causing a scene, the affidavit said.

He then refused to pay for his meal costing $371.55 after allegedly stating, “I’m not paying if you are kicking me out,” the affidavit said.

Eatherly was taken into custody a few hours later. He initially pulled his arm away when officers tried to place him in handcuffs but was then arrested without further incident, the affidavit said. He was later granted release on a $5,000 bond, according to a judge’s order.

A hearing was scheduled at the Montgomery County Courthouse Wednesday morning – where the shooting happened – in a civil case between Eatherly and Midland Credit Management Inc., court records showed, but it’s unclear whether he appeared for the hearing. He allegedly owed a debt of $3,300 to the credit company, according to the county’s court records, the AP reported.

For more CryptoLiveDaily news and newsletters create an account at CryptoLiveDaily.