A controversial livestreamer is being temporarily silenced after a Tennessee judge ordered him not to post while he’s under investigation. This comes after he allegedly shot and wounded a Black man outside of a courthouse.
Dalton Eatherly, also known as “Chud the Builder,” was charged with trying to shoot and kill Joshua Fox, authorities said. It happened on May 13 outside the Montgomery County Courthouse in Clarksville, Tennessee.
A judge set Eatherly’s bond at $1 million Thursday, Clarksville Now reported. Eatherly is also not allowed to pay that amount with money raised through crowdfunding.
During the hearing, District Attorney General Robert Nash argued that Eatherly’s videos are created for provocation and profit.
“We had an unarmed man who was shot and an armed man whose whole life is to provoke that man who was shot, or a man just like him,” Nash said during the hearing, according to Clarksville Now.
The judge ruled that Eatherly cannot livestream or post on social media while the case is ongoing.
Free speech and “race-baiting” are two entirely different concepts that often overlap online. Creators like Eatherly typically invoke “free speech” as a defense when their accounts are penalized, arguing that platforms are censoring unpopular opinions.
But now Eatherly has been censored by the state of Tennessee.
Investigators testified that video surveillance cameras caught the incident. The video has not been released to the public, nor has it been independently reviewed by Atlanta Black Star.
Clarksville Now reported the video showed Eatherly approach Fox, who was at court that day for a child support hearing. Eatherly held a selfie stick.
According to a warrant obtained by Clarksville Now, after the verbal altercation, Eatherly walked away. Fox approached him.
The warrant said Eatherly then “turned his body in a bladed stance” and reached for a firearm in his jacket pocket.
“Thereafter, a physical altercation ensued,” the warrant said, according to Clarksville Now. One investigator testified Eatherly was seen in the video “trying to pull his gun out of his jacket pocket,” and that Eatherly later claimed he was reaching for mace, which he normally carries.
Clarksville Now reported the investigator said the footage showed a firearm, not pepper spray. Investigators clarified Eatherly’s pepper spray had been confiscated during a recent arrest in Nashville.
Eatherly’s legal team told Clarksville Now that Eatherly was placed in a headlock during the struggle. Investigators deny those claims.
According to the warrant, seven shell casings were recovered from the scene. Fox was shot in the torso and arm.
Eatherly apparently shot himself in the arm, according to the warrant.
According to Clarksville Now, a search of Eatherly’s truck and home revealed a slew of troubling evidence.
They found an airline ticket to Istanbul dated for a May 22 departure. Investigators also recovered a bulletproof vest, a rifle, a shotgun, ammunition, and a suspected bag of marijuana.
While searching Eatherly’s electronic devices, Clarksville Now reported that investigators found a series of “inflammatory racial videos” and social media posts made in the weeks leading up to the shooting.
Nash requested that Eatherly wear a GPS monitor and be denied access to weapons.
Eatherly’s attorney argued that because he is a public figure, he’s a target. Clarksville Now reported Eatherly’s flight to Istanbul also included a return flight.
“Mr. Eatherly has already been tried in the court of public opinion,” his lawyer said during the hearing. Clarksville Now reported the attorney argued Eatherly acted out of fear of “serious bodily harm or death.”
As of Friday morning, Eatherly is still in the Montgomery County Jail.
His next hearing is set for May 26 at 9 a.m.
