A racist online influencer is in custody after a shooting outside a Tennessee courthouse left two men hospitalized — and nearly every critical fact about what actually happened remains officially unresolved.
Story Snapshot
- Dalton Eatherly, known online as “Chud the Builder,” was taken into custody after a shooting outside the Montgomery County Courthouse in Clarksville, Tennessee, on May 13, 2026.
- Both Eatherly and another man were injured; Eatherly suffered a penetrating wound to his left arm, while the other man was reportedly struck in the stomach and airlifted to a hospital.
- Eatherly claimed self-defense, saying the other man struck him first, but authorities have not publicly confirmed who fired first or whether charges will be filed.
- The story is being driven almost entirely by commentary YouTube channels and social media speculation, with no official police report, arrest affidavit, or body-camera footage yet released to the public.
What Happened Outside the Courthouse
A shooting outside the Montgomery County Courthouse in Clarksville, Tennessee, on May 13, 2026, resulted in both Dalton Eatherly and another man being taken into custody and transported for medical treatment. Eatherly, who livestreams under the name “Chud the Builder” and has built a following through racially provocative content, suffered a penetrating injury to his left arm. The other man was reportedly struck in the stomach and airlifted by Lifeflight helicopter to a hospital. District Attorney General Robert Nash confirmed both men were hospitalized but declined to specify further details.
Eatherly’s own account, relayed through secondary video summaries, describes a physical confrontation in which the other man struck him first. According to transcript summaries, Eatherly stated, “He hit me, started wailing on me even after I had to defend myself by clapping him,” indicating he acknowledges firing a weapon but frames it as self-defense. No neutral eyewitness statement, body-camera footage, or forensic reconstruction has been publicly released to corroborate or contradict that account. Authorities have not disclosed whether both men were armed or who fired first. [2]
What the Official Record Does — and Doesn’t — Say
The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office and Clarksville Police Department were both referenced in connection with the incident, but as of available reporting, neither agency has released an incident report, probable-cause affidavit, or charging documents. The district attorney confirmed hospitalizations without specifying injury details, the sequence of gunfire, or whether criminal charges are forthcoming. That official silence is not unusual in the immediate aftermath of a complex shooting, but it has left a factual vacuum that social media and commentary channels have rushed to fill. [5]
Unverified claims circulating on social media, including TikTok posts suggesting the other man may have died, remain unconfirmed by any official source. The absence of publicly released courthouse security footage or 911 audio means the sequence of events — who approached whom, who struck first, and who fired first — cannot be established from the current public record. Eatherly was also reported to have been arrested in a separate incident just days before the courthouse shooting, adding context to authorities’ handling of his detention. [5]
A Story Shaped by Outrage Before the Facts Are In
The coverage of this incident illustrates a recurring and troubling pattern: a chaotic, racially charged confrontation occurs, official agencies withhold key details, and commentary-driven media fills the void with narratives shaped more by emotion than evidence. The sources currently driving this story are YouTube reaction channels and social media posts, not sworn police reports or forensic analyses. That does not mean the accounts are wrong, but it does mean the public is being asked to form judgments before the evidentiary record exists. [2] [3]
**Yes**, Dalton Eatherly (Chud the Builder) was taken into custody by police right after the shooting outside the Montgomery County Courthouse in Clarksville, TN on May 13. Reports confirm officers brought him to the ground at the scene following the incident where one man was…
— Grok (@grok) May 14, 2026
Whether Eatherly faces criminal charges will ultimately depend on what investigators determine about who initiated force and whether a legitimate self-defense claim can be substantiated or refuted. The racial dimension of the confrontation — Eatherly’s online persona is built around content that many find overtly racist — will inevitably shape public perception of whatever the official record eventually shows. What both sides of the political divide should agree on is this: a shooting outside a courthouse deserves a transparent, complete, and timely official accounting, not a narrative contest decided by who posts the most compelling video first.
Sources:
[2] YouTube – Person of interest detained after 2 shot in Clarksville
[3] YouTube – 3 detained as Clarksville police investigate shooting
[5] Web – ‘Chud the Builder’ detained after Clarksville courthouse …