A former North Carolina law enforcement officer was arrested Wednesday in Destin, Florida, on charges he planned a mass shooting at a festival in New Orleans, according to the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office. Christopher Gillum, 44, was taken into custody without incident at a hotel, where authorities recovered a handgun and approximately 200 rounds of ammunition.
Gillum, who had served as a sworn police officer in Chapel Hill, N.C., from 2004 until 2019, was wanted in Orleans Parish for making terroristic threats. Authorities said he “planned to travel to a festival in New Orleans to conduct a mass shooting.” He is expected to be extradited to Louisiana to face charges.
While officials did not name the specific festival, organizers of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival confirmed in a statement that they were the intended target. “The NOPD is aware of this incident and has a strong security plan in place to ensure the safety of those in attendance for both weekends of Jazz Fest,” the statement read. “As always, public safety remains our top priority not only at this event, but throughout the city.”
The Jazz Festival, a 10-day arts, music, and culture event, draws hundreds of thousands of visitors annually. The arrest comes amid heightened concerns about mass shootings at large public gatherings.
The Associated Press reported that Gillum’s family had reported him missing on Tuesday and told law enforcement he had a gun and “expressed recent threats to harm ‘Black people.’” The AP, citing various police departments and bulletins in North Carolina, also noted Gillum has a history of self-harm.
Louisiana State Police spokesperson Trooper Danny Berrincha said in a statement that the agency is working with the FBI and would not release further details. “At this time, there are no known direct threats to any festivals in Louisiana, but we are constantly working with local, state, and federal partners through our Louisiana State Analytical and Fusion Exchange Center to ensure safety,” Berrincha said.
Gillum’s Law Enforcement Background
Gillum’s career in law enforcement spanned multiple agencies in North Carolina. After resigning from the Chapel Hill police force in 2019, he worked as a police officer in Carolina Beach from October 2019 to October 2020. He later served as a detention officer in Orange County from October 2023 to July 2024. In 2024, he returned to the Chapel Hill police as a non-sworn employee but left by the end of the year. He was rehired as an Orange County sheriff’s deputy in January 2025 but resigned in September, according to the AP.
This incident is not the first involving law enforcement officers accused of plotting violence. In a separate case, a New York City council member was arrested at an eviction protest, alleging police manhandling. Meanwhile, North Carolina authorities are charging young adults as accomplices in a park shooting that killed two teens, highlighting ongoing concerns about gun violence in the region.
The investigation remains ongoing, and authorities have not released additional details about Gillum’s motives or the specific timeline of his planned attack.
