CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – New details from an arrest warrant say the man accused of opening fire outside the Montgomery County Courthouse on Wednesday reached for his firearm before the physical altercation ensued as his bond was set at $1.25 million Friday.
Dalton Levi Eatherly, 28, is charged with attempted criminal homicide, employing a firearm during the commission of a dangerous felony, aggravated assault, and reckless endangerment with a deadly weapon, according to the arrest warrant issued May 13.
| Previously: UPDATE: Man who instigated racist disputes charged with attempted murder outside County Courthouse
Warrant alleges Eatherly reached for gun before physical altercation
The shooting occurred at around 1:15 p.m. Wednesday outside the Montgomery County Courts Center. According to the arrest warrant obtained by Clarksville Now, Eatherly and another man, identified as Joshua Fox, got into a verbal confrontation. Then, at this point, Eatherly “turned his body in a bladed stance” and reached for a firearm in his jacket pocket. “Thereafter, a physical altercation ensued,” said the warrant.
Investigators say Eatherly then fired multiple shots, striking Fox several times. Fox was flown by LifeFlight to Vanderbilt University Medical Center and underwent emergency surgery. Surveillance footage also showed a “ricocheting projectile hitting nearby walls,” with several bystanders in the area at the time, according to the warrant.
Eatherly himself was shot in the arm during the struggle and was taken to Vanderbilt Clarksville Hospital for treatment.
The incident prompted a temporary lockdown of the courthouse complex.
What happened in court Friday morning
During the brief court appearance, in which Eatherly entered wearing a blue jumpsuit reserved for high-risk inmates, Judge H. Reid Poland III advised him of the charges, including attempted criminal homicide, which he said carries a potential 15-to-60-year sentence if convicted.
Poland also explained that the firearm charge normally carries a two to four year sentence, but because of enhancement statutes, it would require a mandatory six‑year sentence at 100% service if Eatherly is convicted and has no prior qualifying convictions. The aggravated assault and reckless endangerment charges each carry three to 15 year sentencing ranges, depending on circumstances and offender status.
The court appointed attorney Jacob Fendley to represent Eatherly.
District Attorney General Robert Nash noted that Eatherly is already out on bond in two other cases — one in Montgomery County and one in Davidson County — and asked that he be held without bond until the court could review all factors at a later hearing.
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Poland instead set an initial bond of $1.25 million, citing “how many people were in the courtyard and near the courthouse and the seriousness of this.”
A bond hearing is scheduled for May 21, at 9 a.m., and a preliminary hearing is set for May 26, at 9 a.m., at the Montgomery County Courts Center.
Who is Dalton Eatherly?
Eatherly, known online as “Chud the Builder,” has gained notoriety for filming himself using racial slurs toward Black residents in an attempt to provoke confrontations. He has posted statements on social media referencing lethal force and violent rhetoric, according to previous reports.
He also has recent arrests in both Montgomery and Davidson counties, including a harassment case bound over to the grand jury in April and charges earlier this week in Nashville for disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, and theft.
He was scheduled to appear in General Sessions Court on Wednesday for an unrelated civil case when the shooting occurred.
Updated with additional information.
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