Social media provocateur Dalton Eatherly, known as “Chud the Builder,” faces attempted murder charges after allegedly shooting a disabled Army veteran outside a Tennessee courthouse, raising alarms about rage-baiting streamers eroding public safety.
Story Highlights
- Dalton Eatherly charged with attempted murder, aggravated assault, and reckless endangerment after a courthouse shooting on May 13, 2026.
- Victim Joshua Love, a disabled Army veteran with two children, shot in stomach and shoulder; both men hospitalized in stable condition.[1][2]
- Eatherly’s pre-shooting social media posts used racial slurs like “chimp,” hinting at premeditated violence.[1][2]
- Video shows Eatherly retrieving gun from car, provoking fight, firing 4-5 shots, then striking Love post-shooting.[1]
- Sheriff condemns violence; Eatherly held without bond in Montgomery County Jail.
Incident Unfolds Outside Courthouse
Dalton Eatherly, 28, known online as “Chud the Builder,” engaged in a physical altercation outside the Montgomery County Courthouse in Clarksville, Tennessee, on May 13, 2026. Deputies responded to reports of gunfire around midday. Eatherly did not carry a firearm inside the courthouse but retrieved one from his car afterward. He then approached a group, leading to a fight with Joshua Love. Eatherly fired four or five shots, striking Love in the stomach and shoulder. Eatherly sustained a graze wound to his arm and continued striking Love after the shooting, per video footage.[1]
Both men received hospitalization. Love, identified as a disabled Army veteran with two children, underwent emergency surgery. Eatherly airlifted to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in stable condition. Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office arrested Eatherly at the scene, charging him with criminal attempt murder employing a firearm during a dangerous felony, aggravated assault, and reckless endangerment with a deadly weapon. He remains held without bond pending arraignment.[2]
Eatherly’s Provocative Online History
Eatherly built a following through livestreams provoking confrontations with racial slurs, including against children in a Walmart incident witnessed locally. Ten hours before the shooting, he posted on social media: “Series finale is dead chimp on the pavement and you monkeys rioting when I walk free. Stay tuned.” An earlier May 7 post read: “Serious finale is dead chimp on the pavement” and referenced “premeditated self-defense.”[1][2]
Post-shooting, while Love underwent surgery, Eatherly posted on Facebook: “the chimp I shot in self-defense is in emergency surgery learning actions have consequences.” He added: “Don’t chimp out if you can’t take the return fire,” showing no remorse. Witnesses like Claire Martin described Eatherly as notorious for racially derogatory provocations during streams.[1]
Self-Defense Claims and Broader Concerns
Eatherly live-streamed the incident, claiming self-defense: “he hit me, started whaling on me even after I had to defend myself by shooting him.” His graze wound supports a possible struggle, though no full police report, bodycam footage, or ballistics analysis confirms shot trajectories or who initiated violence. District Attorney notes charges pending further investigation.[2]
The Builder era is over. 🤠🚫 Dalton Eatherly is in a cell for attempted murder. The cowboy hat in image.png is all that’s left. Get into $CHUDLESS before the arraignment! ⛓️ Akx3sMMEFGPDdkCmxLcmbKGJdTwsXBvZvNHgg9Xpump
#$CHUDLESS
— Chudless (@ChudlessCoin) May 14, 2026
Sheriff Phillip Fuson stated: “This kind of violence won’t be tolerated and our office will work to make sure those responsible are held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.” The case fits patterns of online rage-baiters escalating virtual feuds into real violence, often with firearms, per studies on far-right livestreamers. Eatherly’s supporters have spiked cryptocurrency donations, funding his defense.[1]
Conservatives wary of government overreach value Second Amendment rights but decry provocateurs who abuse them for clout, endangering innocents like veteran Love and undermining law-abiding gun owners. Full disclosure of affidavits and footage remains crucial to separate provocation from legitimate defense, preventing biased narratives from media sensationalism.[1][2]
Sources:
[1] Web – Man who instigated racist disputes charged with … – Clarksville Now
[2] Web – Streamer known as ‘Chud the Builder’ involved in shooting outside …
