ChudTheBuilder’s friend, Amiri King, has spoken out after his arrest in connection to a shooting, saying he looks forward to “today’s incident being proven justified in the court of law.” ChudTheBuilder, who has previously come under fire for livestreaming himself allegedly saying racially derogatory statements to Black people in public settings, has been charged in connection to a shooting outside a Tennessee courthouse on Wednesday, May 13, authorities said.
ChudTheBuilder, 28, whose real name is Dalton Eatherly, was charged with attempted murder, employing a firearm during a dangerous felony, aggravated assault, and reckless endangerment with a deadly weapon. He is being held at the Montgomery County jail until bond can be set at an arraignment hearing.
‘He has received constant threats’
King, who describes himself as a cultural commentator and a writer on X, defended ChudTheBuilder in a post.
King wrote on X, “Chud FaceTimed me today at 1:01 EST. We are friends. He explained to me how he has received constant threats and is (obviously) in perpetual fear for his life and safety. How he constantly has to have his head on a swivel all because he is exercising his first amendment right.”
“Dalton is very pious and a believer in Christ,” King continued. “He’s not racist. He talked about how happy it makes him when people are willing to engage in nonviolent conversation. That was ultimately what he was pursuing. He’s for free speech. Full stop.”
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He added, “I look forward to today’s incident being proven justified in the court of law. Something a large demographic in America feels that they are above.”
King further elaborated in a comment, “Before he hung up with me he told me he was going to grab a cup of coffee and needed the phone just in case someone tried to harm him. So he could call authorities to handle things the right way. Dalton definitely isn’t looking for a problem like this.”
What we know about the incident
ChudTheBuilder, 28, and an unidentified man, were involved in a confrontation that resulted in gunfire, District Attorney Robert J. Nash said in a statement, per the Associated Press. Nash did not reveal why Eatherly was at that courthouse in Clarksville, or what triggered the confrontation.
While police did not reveal anything about the other man, a witness who claimed she saw him loaded into an ambulance described him as Black. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office said that both the men were transported to hospitals to be treated, and were stable.
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Claire Martin, who works in an attorney’s office across the street from the courthouse, claimed that Eatherly is “well known in Clarksville for antagonizing people to see what he can get them to do.” She also alleged that he “yells racial slurs” at people while filming them.
