Former police officer arrested for allegedly planning mass shooting at New Orleans festival

By Rebekah Riess, Dianne Gallagher, CNN

(CNN) — A former law enforcement officer who expressed interest in harming Black people was arrested Wednesday after authorities found information suggesting he planned a mass shooting at a festival in New Orleans, according to authorities.

Christopher Gillum, 45, from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, was taken into custody Wednesday evening at a hotel in Destin, Florida, where a handgun and about 200 rounds of ammunition were recovered from Gillum’s room, the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office said.

“Authorities obtained information Gillum planned to travel to a festival in New Orleans to conduct a mass shooting and then commit suicide by cop,” the sheriff’s office said.

His arrest came as Louisiana authorities sought him on a charge of making terroristic threats and the community prepared for the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, known as Jazz Fest, which begins Thursday and runs through May 3. The festival, founded in 1970, draws roughly 400,000 attendees each year.

While authorities did not say which festival Gillum allegedly intended to target, Matthew Goldman, press and advertising director for Jazz Fest, said organizers were “grateful to all law enforcement partners for their dedication and exceptional service in protecting our community” in a statement to CNN affiliate WVUE sent after Gillum’s arrest.

Gillum is being held in the Okaloosa County Jail pending extradition to Louisiana. He was also sought by police in Burlington, North Carolina, who sent an alert saying his family had indicated he had a Glock handgun and had expressed interest in harming Black people, according to a law enforcement official.

Louisiana State Police said it is investigating the case in coordination with the FBI, and declined to share more details “to avoid compromising the investigation.”

“At this time, there are no known direct threats to any festivals in Louisiana,” Louisiana State Police Sgt. Ross Brennan said in a statement. “The investigation remains ongoing, and the credibility of any potential threats, past or present, is part of the investigative process.”

He worked for at least 3 law enforcement agencies over the years

Gillum was a law enforcement officer in North Carolina for more than a decade, according to several agencies in the state.

He was a police officer in Chapel Hill from 2004 until 2019, when he resigned and took a job as an officer about three hours away with the Carolina Beach Police Department for a year.

In October 2023, Gillum joined the Orange County Sheriff’s Office as a detention officer and left the job in July 2024, said Alicia Stemper, a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office. Gillum then returned to the Chapel Hill police department as a non-sworn employee before leaving for another job by the end of that year, Alex Carrasquillo, communications manager for the Town of Chapel Hill, told CNN.

Gillum was hired again by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office in January of last year, this time as a deputy, but resigned in September, Stemper said.

License plate reader technology helped police find suspect

Authorities in Louisiana and Florida highlighted the collaboration between several agencies and the use of license plate reader technology after the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office said deputies learned Gillum was in the area through the county’s Flock camera system.

The flagship product of Flock, an Atlanta-based safety technology company, is an outdoor camera referred to as “LPR” camera. The device can read license plates and identify other details about vehicles as they drive by. Around 6,000 law enforcement agencies across the United States use LPRs and the company’s AI system allows them to search its network of footage for a specific car.

Okaloosa County Sheriff Eric Aden said Wednesday’s arrest, “highlights how technology like FLOCK and strong partnerships between agencies can help prevent potential violence and bring wanted fugitives into custody safely before a tragedy could occur.”

“This level of coordination extended to law enforcement agencies in multiple states from North Carolina to Florida. This is where urgent collaboration and cooperation pays off,” New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno said in a statement. Moreno did not discuss details about Gillum’s arrest, which her office described as “the arrest of a potential threat suspect in Florida.”

New Orleans had upped its public safety measures over the past year, following a terror attack on Bourbon Street that killed 14 people during New Year’s Eve celebrations. This weekend’s Jazz Fest will be held at the Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, about 2.5 miles from Bourbon Street and the city’s French Quarter.

That attack raised questions about how the city secured Bourbon Street and how a heavy-duty truck was able to drive onto one of the most pedestrian-heavy roads in the nation. A report released by the New Orleans Police and Justice Foundation recommended most of Bourbon Street should be closed off to vehicles, creating a permanent pedestrian plaza.

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry has said his administration has taken the “protection” around the city of New Orleans as “extremely important” since the terror attack, he told CNN affiliate WDSU on Thursday.

The thwarted attack, Landry said, shows authorities “have the resources necessary to make sure that we get accurate intelligence and then we act on it.”

This story has been updated with additional information.

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CNN’s Jeremy Grisham, Sneha Dhandapani and Clare Duffy contributed to this reporting.