CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. — Kick livestreamer Dalton Eatherly, known online as “Chud the Builder,” faces attempted murder charges following a Wednesday afternoon shooting outside the Montgomery County Courthouse in Tennessee. The incident highlights an escalating trend of physical violence resulting from extreme “rage-bait” content creation.
The 28-year-old was booked into the Montgomery County Jail after an altercation left an unnamed Black man with gunshot wounds. Authorities airlifted the other man to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where he remains in stable condition. Eatherly sustained a gunshot wound to his arm during the incident, which investigators believe was self-inflicted while discharging the firearm.
The shooting occurred at approximately 1:15 p.m. in the courthouse plaza. District Attorney General Robert Nash confirmed that Eatherly discharged the weapon, according to local coverage by Clarksville Now detailing the official charges. Eatherly claimed he acted in self-defense after the other man punched him.
Prosecutors charged Eatherly with attempted murder, employing a firearm during a dangerous felony, aggravated assault, and reckless endangerment.
The courthouse confrontation occurred three days after Nashville police arrested Eatherly at Bob’s ChopHouse, a timeline confirmed in a KOMO News report on his recent detainments. In that Sunday incident, Eatherly faced charges for disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, and theft of services after allegedly refusing to pay his bill and causing a disruption.
This week’s arrests add to Eatherly’s existing legal issues. He faces a pending harassment charge from a November 2025 arrest in Clarksville. During that period, the local police department issued a public statement clarifying that Eatherly was not affiliated with law enforcement, directly contradicting claims he made to individuals on his stream.
The incident follows a pattern of intentionally provocative broadcasts where Eatherly directed racial slurs at Black individuals to elicit physical responses, prompting national scrutiny from The Guardian regarding the real-world escalation of rage-bait tactics.