NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A Tennessee man who goes by the moniker Chud the Builder and is known for posting racist videos is charged with attempted murder after shooting a man outside a Clarksville courthouse on Wednesday.
Dalton Eatherly, who is white, posts videos to social media where he tries to provoke Black passersby by using racial slurs and racist dog whistles. He was arrested on Wednesday after an altercation with another man. This is what we know.
At about 1:20 p.m. on Wednesday, police responded to a report of shots fired outside the Montgomery County Courthouse. Deputies detained two people who were involved in a “physical altercation that escalated to gunfire," according to a news release from the sheriff's office. Both people sustained gunshot wounds and were taken to separate hospitals where they were both listed as being stable.
District Attorney General Robert Nash, in a separate news release, identified one of the people involved as Eatherly. Authorities declined to answer questions about the second man; however, a witness who said she saw him loaded into an ambulance described him as Black.
Neither Nash nor the sheriff's office have said what exactly led to the confrontation. It was not immediately clear if Eatherly has an attorney in the case who could speak for him. The courthouse was closed on Thursday because of the shooting, and online records were not updated. An attorney representing Eatherly in a different case did not return a call seeking comment.
In an audio stream from just after the shooting that Eatherly posted to social media, Eatherly says he shot a man in self-defense after the person started hitting him. Eatherly speaks with paramedics in the clip, one of whom takes note of a bullet wound’s entry and exit point in his arm.
“Did I shoot myself or did it graze it?” Eatherly asks.
After leaving the hospital on Wednesday, Eatherly was taken to the Montgomery County jail. He is charged with attempted murder, employing a firearm during a dangerous felony, aggravated assault and reckless endangerment with a deadly weapon.
Authorities on Thursday did not provide an update on the condition of the other man, and a hospital spokesperson said medical privacy laws prohibit them from disclosing information about victims of violence.
In an online fundraiser Eatherly posted for himself at some point prior to the shooting, he complains that he cannot get jobs for his contracting business because people object to the videos he makes. He claims to make “mild jokes” and admits that he uses racial slurs while calling it “harmless humor.” It is unclear when the fundraiser was first posted. He addresses it to “friends, supporters, and champions of free speech.”
Although Eatherly repeatedly references free speech in his social media posts, what he does in those posts may actually be crimes under Tennessee law, said David Raybin, a criminal defense attorney and former prosecutor who is an expert in the state's criminal law. Because Eatherly was known to openly carry a pistol while berating people, the combination could constitute assault, Raybin said.
“You don’t have to touch someone,” he said. Assault can be charged if you “create fear of imminent harm.”
Meanwhile, merely coming at someone with “fighting words” constitutes disorderly conduct under local Nashville ordinances.
Claire Martin works in a law office across the street from the courthouse and said she saw the aftermath of the shooting. She said Eatherly is well known in the community for yelling racial slurs at Black people while filming them. Eatherly also regularly does the same in downtown Nashville, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) to the southeast.
Just the previous Saturday, Eatherly was kicked out of a Nashville steakhouse after he refused to stop livestreaming from inside the restaurant. An affidavit filed by police said he started yelling, screaming and “making racial statements” before leaving without paying a nearly $400 bill. He was arrested the following day and charged with theft of services, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. He was released on $5,000 bond.
On the morning of the shooting, he had been scheduled to appear in court in Clarksville over a $3,300 debt allegedly owed to a credit company, according to Montgomery County court records. The civil case was filed in February on behalf of Midland Credit Management. Court records didn’t indicate whether Eatherly showed up for the status hearing. Online records list the case as open. The shooting occurred several hours later.
Eatherly was not listed in online court records as of Thursday afternoon, but if the case proceeds as ones normally do in Montgomery County, he will be arraigned on Friday. That is when a judge will decide on bond.
While police have not said what happened prior to the shooting, if Eatherly is found to have provoked the other person, it would be very difficult to prove self-defense, said Raybin, the criminal defense expert. Regardless, a person only has the right to use deadly force if threatened with death or great bodily harm.
“I think a prosecutor would give very little weight to claims of self-defense,” Raybin said.
Associated Press videojournalist Kristin M. Hall contributed from Clarksville, Tennessee. Associated Press writers Corey Williams in Detroit and John Raby in Charleston, West Virginia, also contributed.
A Sheriff's deputy investigates a shooting scene outside the Montgomery County Courthouse, Wednesday, May 13, 2026, in Clarksville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
This photo provided by the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department shows Dalton Eatherly in Nashville, Tenn., on Sunday, May 10, 2026, after his arrest. (Metropolitan Nashville Police via AP)
Sheriff's deputies investigate a shooting scene outside the Montgomery County Courthouse, Wednesday, May 13, 2026, in Clarksville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico has spent 40 years chasing a return to the World Cup quarterfinals. On Sunday, its best chance in a generation arrives. Playing on home soil in a venue that has become an almost impregnable fortress, El Tri will face England in the Round of 16 — in what is arguably the most important match in Mexican soccer history.
Mexico boasts an incredible record in official matches at Estadio Azteca. Since the venue opened in 1966, the national team has suffered just two defeats there, the latter of which was over a decade ago against Honduras in September 2013.
“The stadium is a monster; that explains the high number of wins and draws, and the few losses — which were just accidents,” said Hugo Sánchez, the striker who played in the 1986 World Cup and now works as an ESPN analyst. “We approach this with optimism because we know it’s England, but if we play the way we did against Ecuador, we can beat them.”
The numbers back up the myth. Across the 1970, 1986, and current World Cups on home soil, Mexico has played 10 matches at Azteca, winning eight and drawing two. In this tournament alone, El Tri has secured three home wins without conceding a goal: 2-0 against South Africa and 3-0 against Czech Republic in the group stage, and 2-0 against Ecuador in the Round of 32. Mexico also defeated South Korea 1-0 in Guadalajara in the group stage.
It's the first time Mexico has started a World Cup by winning four consecutive matches.
“We have played three World Cups in Mexico; it is hard for me to say if it is (the biggest match). In 1970 we played Italy for the semifinals, in '86 we played Germany also for the semifinals,” Mexico coach Javier Aguirre said Saturday. “There have been several important matches in history and tomorrow is certainly one of them.”
These results have ignited the hopes of millions of Mexicans, many of whom weren’t even born the last time the nation reached the quarterfinals. After achieving that feat in 1986, Mexico’s World Cup history became a psychological hurdle: It missed the 1990 tournament, followed by seven consecutive, agonizing Round of 16 exits before failing to escape the group stage four years ago in Qatar.
“I’m one of those who couldn’t make it through; it happened to me in South Africa and Korea,” said Aguirre, who coached El Tri during those campaigns. “It’s deeply painful because you play a great group stage, only to be knocked out for a variety of reasons.”
Mexico's eliminations comprise a catalog of heartbreaks, including a penalty shootout loss to Bulgaria in 1994 when Aguirre was an assistant coach under Miguel Mejía Barón and defeats in 1998 and 2014 to Germany and the Netherlands when El Tri squandered late leads in the final minutes.
“We will be facing a top-four team in the world according to FIFA, a world champion in '66 and one country with a great league,” Aguirre said. “In order to beat them, we need to do a nearly perfect match and to be better than what we’ve been so far.”
Now, the script could flip. At Azteca — which sits 7,300 feet (2,200 meters) above sea level — Mexico will rely heavily on the altitude and the backing of a ferocious home crowd, as it did in the group stage.
“England is one of the great national teams in the history of football, with outstanding players. We all agreed that we wanted a match like this,” midfielder Alvaro Fidalgo said Saturday. “We are in great form, the Azteca is an intimidating venue, and ultimately, it’s a World Cup Round of 16 match. That’s never easy for anyone.”
England enters the knockout stage fresh off a 2-1 victory over Congo, powered by a pair of goals from star striker Harry Kane. Kane headlines an elite English squad that reached the quarterfinals at the last World Cup before falling to eventual finalist France.
A victory for the Three Lions would send them to the quarterfinals for the sixth time in their history — and the third consecutive time — keeping alive the dream of a title that has eluded them since 1966.
On paper, England holds the clear advantage in talent, led by Premier League standouts, whereas Mexico’s spearhead is Julián Quiñones, the top scorer in the Saudi League.
“We have very experienced players who play in the toughest leagues and the biggest clubs in the world. We all know these games from Champions League matches where you play up against, against the energy of a stadium and that we are prepared for that,” England coach Thomas Tuchel said Saturday. “We are prepared for strong start of the Mexican team. I guess they will they will try to give us a taste of intensity.”
However, the playing conditions could serve as the ultimate equalizer.
England arrived in the northern part of Mexico City on Friday night, a mere two days before kickoff. Sports scientists and altitude experts generally recommend two options for high-altitude competition: Arrive weeks in advance for full acclimatization or fly in as close as possible to kickoff. By choosing a 48-hour window, England has entered the dead zone experts warn against.
“We feel it. Even if we don’t train, we feel it. I felt a slight headache. And in the hotel room through the day, didn’t sleep as well as the days before, but nothing that you cannot handle,” Tuchel said. “It’s just what it is. We cannot physically adapt. It’s just impossible. But we are here one day before to experience it, at least to not have all the first time experience in the warm-up.”
To compound the strain, passionate Mexican fans are already plotting psychological warfare. Hundreds are expected to converge on England’s hotel to disrupt players' sleep — a tactic deployed against Ecuador, when fans used loudspeakers, drums and revving motorcycles into the early-morning hours.
England is attempting to remain unfazed.
“We had no issues last night. I think FIFA took care of the situation. And we have security around the hotel, so we expect a good night of sleep,” Tuchel said. “I don’t want to talk about problems that don’t exist yet.”
AP Soccer Writer James Robson in Atlanta contributed to this report.
See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here
Mexico head coach Javier Aguirre, left, talks with his assistant Toni Amor during a training session ahead of their World Cup round of 16 soccer match against England in Mexico City, Saturday, July 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)
Mexico's Gilberto Mora, front, warms up during a training session ahead of the World Cup round of 16 soccer match against England in Mexico City, Saturday, July 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)
Fans celebrate on Reforma Ave., near the Angel of Independence monument in Mexico City, after Mexico's Julian Quinones scored against Ecuador during the World Cup round of 32 soccer match, Tuesday, June 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)
Mexican fans wave flags as they watch the World Cup round of 32 soccer match between Mexico and Ecuador near the Angel of Independence monument in Mexico City, Tuesday, June 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)
Mexico players celebrate after the World Cup round of 32 soccer match between Mexico and Ecuador in Mexico City, Tuesday, June 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
