A judge in Tennessee on Friday set a $1.25 million bond for a far-right social media personality accused of attempted murder after a midday shooting outside the Montgomery County Courthouse. Dalton Eatherly, 28, who goes by the moniker “Chud the Builder” and is known for posting racist videos, appeared for arraignment following the Wednesday altercation that sent another man to a Nashville hospital and drew gunfire near bystanders.
According to an arrest-warrant affidavit, Eatherly and the victim were engaged in a verbal dispute just before 1:19 p.m. when Eatherly “turned his body in a bladed stance … and reached for his firearm located in his right jacket pocket.” A physical struggle followed, and Eatherly fired multiple rounds, striking the other man several times. The victim was flown by helicopter to a Nashville hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery; police said afterward that he was in stable condition, though the hospital has since declined to provide updates, citing privacy laws.
Surveillance video and audio recordings documented a bullet ricochet that hit nearby walls, endangering “several innocent bystanders” who had been outside the courthouse, the affidavit states. Eatherly also shot himself in the arm during the encounter, according to witness accounts and audio evidence.
At the arraignment, prosecutors requested that Eatherly be held without bond until a full hearing next week. Judge H. Reid Poland III declined that request but set the high bond, noting the crowd present and “the seriousness of these felonies.” In addition to attempted murder, Eatherly faces charges of employing a firearm during a dangerous felony, aggravated assault, and reckless endangerment with a deadly weapon.
Poland highlighted that Eatherly had already been free on bond in two other criminal cases. He faces a separate harassment charge in Montgomery County dating to November, and last week he was charged in Nashville’s Davidson County with theft of services, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.
Eatherly’s online activities have drawn broader scrutiny. In videos posted to social media, he tries to provoke Black passersby using racial slurs and racist dog whistles. A witness to the shooting described the victim as Black. Police have not publicly confirmed the victim’s race.
The attorney appointed to represent Eatherly on the felony charges, Jacob Fendley, responded to questions about the case with an email decrying the hateful messages his office has received. Fendley wrote that he has a history of service to people of all skin colors and called the suggestion that he or his staff harbor racist views “simply ridiculous.” He added that the role of a defense attorney is to represent people “regardless of their race, religion, ideology, or allegations against them.”
Eatherly is being held in the Montgomery County jail. A full bond hearing is scheduled for May 21, and a preliminary hearing is set for May 26.