A North Carolina man wanted in Orleans Parish was arrested in Destin, Florida, after authorities said he threatened a mass shooting at a New Orleans festival.
DESTIN, Fla. - Authorities say a former North Carolina law enforcement officer accused of plotting a mass shooting at a major New Orleans festival was arrested at a Florida hotel with a handgun and about 200 rounds of ammunition.
Authorities in several states did not name the event, but the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, commonly known as Jazz Fest, runs from Thursday through May 3. The gathering attracted about 460,000 people last year, organizers said. Christopher Gillum of Chapel Hill was taken into custody without incident Wednesday evening at a hotel on Scenic Highway 98 in Destin, according to the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office. Authorities said Gillum was wanted in Orleans Parish on a terroristic threats charge.
Investigators said they received information he was planning to travel to a festival in New Orleans to carry out a mass shooting and then commit “suicide by cop. ” Gillum’s family reported him missing on Tuesday and he had a history of self-harm, according to Lt. Clint Lyons of the Alamance County Sheriff’s Office in North Carolina.
The Associated Press reported Gillum’s family told law enforcement he had a gun and “expressed recent threats to harm ‘Black people,’” according to a bulletin from police in Burlington, North Carolina. Lyons said Gillum crossed state lines before his agency could prepare the paperwork to involuntarily commit him to psychiatric treatment. Lyons said that there were no criminal grounds to detain Gillum despite his comments about Black people “because there was no victim.
” “But we felt that there was definitely something there that needed to be shared, so that’s what we did,” Lyons said. Gillum was located and stopped by law enforcement in Oklaloosa County on Wednesday, according to Lyons and the Burlington police bulletin.
However, Gillum “did not present any grounds for involuntary commitment or criminal charges” and was allowed to continue on his way, the bulletin stated. Gillum told officers that he was “en route to New Orleans,” the report added. Christopher Gillum, wanted in Orleans Parish on a terroristic threats charge, was arrested in Destin, Florida, where deputies said they recovered a handgun and about 200 rounds of ammunition from his hotel room. Gillum is a former Chapel Hill police officer.
According to Alex Carrasquillo, communications manager for the Town of Chapel Hill, Gillum served as an officer there from 2004 to 2019, when he resigned. He later returned to the department in 2024 as a non-sworn employee before leaving for another job by the end of that year. Records show Gillum also worked for the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. A spokesperson said he was hired as a detention officer in 2023 and later as a deputy in 2025.
He resigned from both positions and did not face disciplinary action while employed, a spokesperson said. The sheriff’s office said deputies recovered a handgun and about 200 rounds of ammunition from Gillum’s hotel room. He is being held in the Okaloosa County jail pending extradition to Louisiana.
“As always, we coordinate closely with the FBI, Louisiana State Police, NOPD, NOCEM and other agencies,” Jazz Fest said. “We look forward to another safe and joyful Jazz Fest. ” A suspect accused in an alleged Louisiana festival mass shooting plot is seen with an Okaloosa County sheriff’s deputy after his arrest in Destin, Florida. A handgun and ammunition shown by authorities during the investigation into an alleged mass shooting threat targeting a Louisiana festival.
Okaloosa County Sheriff Eric Aden said the arrest shows how technology and coordination between agencies can help stop potential violence before it happens. Mayor Helena Moreno also praised what she called the swift work of local, state and federal agencies.
“This is where urgent collaboration and cooperation pays off,” Moreno said. “We will continue working closely with our law enforcement partners at every level to ensure that any potential danger is addressed quickly and decisively. ”“I am confident our events are secure,” Murrill said.
“At this time, it is an ongoing investigation, and no further details are being released. ” Louisiana State Police said the investigation remains active, even with a suspect now in custody in Florida.
“At this time, there are no known direct threats to any festivals in Louisiana,” state police said. “We are constantly working with local, state and federal partners to ensure safety. ”Man convicted of 2024 Elba murderFather charged in connection with death of 3-year-old who fell out of 11th-story apartment window
Mass Shooting Threat Okaloosa County Sheriff Fugitive Arrest Louisiana Festival Louisiana Festival Threat
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