‘Karma’: Chud the Builder Charged After Accidentally Shooting Himself While Open Firing on Black Man Outside of Courthouse; Victim’s GoFundMe Page Blows Up

A controversial livestreamer is not having a good week. He was shot outside a Tennessee courthouse, days after getting arrested in Nashville.

Dalton Eatherly, also known as “Chud the Builder” online, told TMZ he was jumped outside the courthouse on Wednesday, prompting him to fire, he claims in self-defense.

Controversial live streamer says someone opened fire at him in Tennessee
Live streamer Chud the Builder says someone jumped him outside the courthouse (Photos: CNN/WZTV)

Eatherly told TMZ he accidentally shot himself. He livestreamed the incident while speaking with emergency personnel.

“Did I shoot myself or did I graze it?” he asked a first responder in the video posted by TMZ. “It penetrated it, yeah.”

CNN reports both Eatherly and the man whom he claims shot at him were taken to the hospital for medical treatment.

The social media personality is known for provocative livestreams, often using racial slurs or other rhetoric to get a rise out of people.

‘Heinous Case’: Off-Duty Security Guard Found Guilty for Shooting Washington Teen in the Back ‘Over and Over’ as He Cried Out for His Mom

Authorities have not said if the incident is considered “politically motivated.”

Days earlier, Eatherly was kicked out of a restaurant. He was arrested in Nashville after he was accused of failing to pay for his meal and being disruptive, CNN reported.

He was asked by restaurant staff to stop filming, but an affidavit obtained by CNN stated he continued recording.

When staff told him to leave, the affidavit said Eatherly became “disruptive and started making racial statements, yelling, screaming,” and causing a scene.

Eatherly also allegedly stated, “I’m not paying if you are kicking me out,” and then refused to pay for his $371.55 meal, the affidavit said.

Officers arrested Eatherly days after the incident when he was walking on a street. He was charged with theft of services, disorderly conduct, and resisting arrest, according to the affidavit.

Eatherly was released on a $5,000 bond, CNN reported.

However, he now faces charges for Wednesday’s incident.

The Montgomery County District Attorney General’s Office told TMZ one person was taken into custody at the scene on Thursday. They added that the confrontation was between the two men only. Eatherly was charged with attempted murder, employing a firearm during dangerous felony, aggravated assault and reckless endangerment with a deadly weapon.

Ni Fox identified the other man involved as her husband. She claims he was shot in the stomach and shoulder, but is in stable condition. An online fundraiser for his medical expenses has raised over $12,000 as of Thursday morning.

“Who didn’t see this coming? What a moron,” one person wrote in response to Eatherly’s mug shot. “Karma,” another person added.

While others questioned if it was self-defense.

“The charges will be dropped. They had to do this or Nashville would be ashes by morning,” one person claimed.

Independent journalism still matters.

We hope this story was worth your time. For over 14 years, Atlanta Black Star has stayed Black-owned and independently run. We didn't get here by waiting on ad budgets that were never built to prioritize us. Our readers did that.

Corporate support for Black media has always been thin. Outlets like ours get roughly 1% of the $170 billion spent on U.S. advertising each year, and that margin is shrinking further as advertisers walk back the DEI-linked commitments they made in 2020. That's the backdrop. It's not why we're asking.

The wider picture isn't any steadier. Newspaper ad revenue has fallen more than 80% since 2005, and local newsrooms are closing at a rate of roughly two a week nationwide. When outlets go under, it's rarely the ones built to center a Black perspective from the ground up that get to stick around.

We know a request for support isn't why you came here. But without readers choosing to fund this work directly, the depth of reporting we can do at home and abroad shrinks along with everyone else's. If you're not in a position to give, that doesn't change how much we value you as a reader.

If you are able to, a recurring contribution does more for us than a single one-time gift, because it lets us plan the next investigation instead of just the next invoice. It takes about 30 seconds, no long form, no account. Thank you for continuing to support independent journalism and freedom of the press.

Back to top