Former North Carolina Officer Arrested In Florida Over Alleged New Orleans Jazz Fest Mass Shooting Plot
A former North Carolina police officer, Christopher Gillum, was arrested Wednesday evening in Destin, Florida, on suspicion of plotting a mass shooting at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.
Okaloosa County deputies arrested Gillum without incident at a Destin hotel and recovered a handgun plus about 200 rounds of ammunition from his room, officials said (The Wall Street Journal). Law enforcement identified him as Christopher Gillum, a former Chapel Hill officer reported as 44 in some accounts and 45 in others. The Okaloosa Sheriff's Office credited automated license-plate readers with locating Gillum and leading to the arrest (Fox News).
The episode traces back to April 21, when Gillum's family reported him missing to North Carolina authorities and said he was armed and had a history of self-harm. Family members told police he expressed intent to harm Black people, prompting attempts to seek an involuntary psychiatric commitment before he left the state. Gillum had resigned from the Orange County Sheriff's Office in September 2025 after a long law enforcement career that included 15 years as a sworn Chapel Hill officer; he briefly returned in 2024 as a non-sworn employee. Local police used license-plate readers to track his vehicle south toward Florida amid heightened security in New Orleans after a 2025 Bourbon Street attack.
Coverage of the case shifted as more information emerged. Early national reports framed the arrest as a suspected plot against a large New Orleans festival (PBS News), while later local reporting and video explicitly named Jazz Fest and said Gillum was "on his way" to the event when stopped (CBS News). Louisiana State Police noted there were no known direct threats to any festivals as investigators pursue motive and planning details (Fox News).
Authorities continue to investigate and have not filed final charges publicly. The Jazz Fest drew about 460,000 attendees in 2025, and the arrest underscored broader worries about mass violence in a year that has already seen 121 mass shootings nationally. Public reaction ranged from relief that a plot was foiled to outrage over reports of a racially targeted motive and suggestions the suspect sought "suicide by cop."
Show source details & analysis (7 sources)
📊 Relevant Data
The 2025 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival had approximately 460,000 attendees over eight days. ([NOLA.com](https://www.nola.com/entertainment_life/festivals/attendance-dipped-for-2025-new-orleans-jazz-festival/article_875827df-a0bc-4642-af5a-415b1c0bc6ec.html)) ([NOLA.com](https://www.nola.com/entertainment_life/festivals/attendance-dipped-for-2025-new-orleans-jazz-festival/article_875827df-a0bc-4642-af5a-415b1c0bc6ec.html)) ([NOLA.com](https://www.nola.com/entertainment_life/festivals/attendance-dipped-for-2025-new-orleans-jazz-festival/article_875827df-a0bc-4642-af5a-415b1c0bc6ec.html)) ([NOLA.com](https://www.nola.com/entertainment_life/festivals/attendance-dipped-for-2025-new-orleans-jazz-festival/article_875827df-a0bc-4642-af5a-415b1c0bc6ec.html)) ([NOLA.com](https://www.nola.com/entertainment_life/festivals/attendance-dipped-for-2025-new-orleans-jazz-festival/article_875827df-a0bc-4642-af5a-415b1c0bc6ec.html)) ([NOLA.com](https://www.nola.com/entertainment_life/festivals/attendance-dipped-for-2025-new-orleans-jazz-festival/article_875827df-a0bc-4642-af5a-415b1c0bc6ec.html)) ([NOLA.com](https://www.nola.com/entertainment_life/festivals/attendance-dipped-for-2025-new-orleans-jazz-festival/article_875827df-a0bc-4642-af5a-415b1c0bc6ec.html)) ([NOLA.com](https://www.nola.com/entertainment_life/festivals/attendance-dipped-for-2025-new-orleans-jazz-festival/article_875827df-a0bc-4642-af5a-415b1c0bc6ec.html)) ([NOLA.com](https://www.nola.com/entertainment_life/festivals/attendance-dipped-for-2025-new-orleans-jazz-festival/article_875827df-a0bc-4642-af5a-415b1c0bc6ec.html)) ([NOLA.com](https://www.nola.com/entertainment_life/festivals/attendance-dipped-for-2025-new-orleans-jazz-festival/article_875827df-a0bc-4642-af5a-415b1c0bc6ec.html)) ([NOLA.com](https://www.nola.com/entertainment_life/festivals/attendance-dipped-for-2025-new-orleans-jazz-festival/article_875827df-a0bc-4642-af5a-415b1c0bc6ec.html)) ([NOLA.com](https://www.nola.com/entertainment_life/festivals/attendance-dipped-for-2025-new-orleans-jazz-festival/article_875827df-a0bc-4642-af5a-415b1c0bc6ec.html)) ([NOLA.com](https://www.nola.com/entertainment_life/festivals/attendance-dipped-for-2025-new-orleans-jazz-festival/article_875827df-a0bc-4642-af5a-415b1c0bc6ec.html))
Attendance dipped for 2025 New Orleans Jazz Festival — NOLA.com
There have been 121 mass shootings in the United States so far in 2026. ([KCRA](https://www.kcra.com/article/mass-shootings-map-2026/71074744)) ([KCRA](https://www.kcra.com/article/mass-shootings-map-2026/71074744)) ([KCRA](https://www.kcra.com/article/mass-shootings-map-2026/71074744)) ([KCRA](https://www.kcra.com/article/mass-shootings-map-2026/71074744)) ([KCRA](https://www.kcra.com/article/mass-shootings-map-2026/71074744)) ([KCRA](https://www.kcra.com/article/mass-shootings-map-2026/71074744)) ([KCRA](https://www.kcra.com/article/mass-shootings-map-2026/71074744)) ([KCRA](https://www.kcra.com/article/mass-shootings-map-2026/71074744)) ([KCRA](https://www.kcra.com/article/mass-shootings-map-2026/71074744)) ([KCRA](https://www.kcra.com/article/mass-shootings-map-2026/71074744)) ([KCRA](https://www.kcra.com/article/mass-shootings-map-2026/71074744)) ([KCRA](https://www.kcra.com/article/mass-shootings-map-2026/71074744)) ([KCRA](https://www.kcra.com/article/mass-shootings-map-2026/71074744))
US Mass Shooting Map: There have been 121 so far in 2026 — KCRA
📌 Key Facts
- Suspect identified as Christopher Gillum of Chapel Hill, North Carolina; his age is reported as 44 by multiple outlets (The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times) while Fox News lists him as 45 Christopher Gillum.
- Okaloosa County deputies say they arrested Gillum without incident Wednesday evening at a hotel in Destin, Florida Ex‑Police Officer Is Accused of Planning Mass Shooting at New Orleans Festival.
- Authorities recovered a handgun and roughly 200 rounds of ammunition from Gillum’s hotel room (also described in some reports as 'hundreds of rounds') Ex‑Police Officer Is Accused of Planning Mass Shooting at New Orleans Festival.
- Okaloosa County credited Flock license‑plate reader cameras with locating Gillum in Destin, Florida Former North Carolina police officer accused of threatening mass shooting at New Orleans festival.
- CBS reporting identifies the alleged intended target as the New Orleans Jazz Fest and says Florida police stated Gillum was 'on his way' to Jazz Fest when arrested Police stop man allegedly planning mass shooting at Jazz Fest.
- Chapel Hill officials say Gillum served as a sworn police officer from 2004 to 2019 and returned briefly in 2024 as a non‑sworn employee Former North Carolina police officer accused of threatening mass shooting at New Orleans festival.
- Louisiana State Police told reporters there are no known direct threats to any Louisiana festivals and did not identify a specific festival in their public statements, even as other outlets named Jazz Fest Former North Carolina police officer accused of threatening mass shooting at New Orleans festival.
- CBS packaged the Jazz Fest plot in coverage alongside a deadly Baton Rouge mall shooting, framing both as part of broader public‑safety concerns in Louisiana Deadly Louisiana mall shooting, mass shooting plot for New Orleans Jazz Fest.
📰 Source Timeline (7)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- CBS describes "more details" emerging about the apparent mass shooting plot at New Orleans' Jazz Fest, reinforcing that the Jazz Fest was the intended target.
- The segment packages the Jazz Fest plot as part of a broader public-safety concern in Louisiana alongside the Baton Rouge mall shooting.
- CBS segment explicitly identifies the targeted event as New Orleans Jazz Fest rather than a generic festival.
- Florida police say the suspect was 'on his way' to Jazz Fest when arrested.
- Police report recovering a handgun and 'hundreds of rounds of ammunition' from the suspect's vehicle or possessions.
- Confirms suspect's full name as Christopher Gillum and lists age as 45, not 44.
- Chapel Hill communications manager says Gillum served as a sworn officer from 2004 to 2019 and returned briefly in 2024 as a non-sworn employee.
- Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office credits Flock license plate reader cameras with locating Gillum in Destin, Florida.
- Authorities recovered a handgun and approximately 200 rounds of ammunition from Gillum's hotel room at the time of arrest.
- Louisiana State Police say there are no known direct threats to any festivals in Louisiana and do not identify the specific festival allegedly targeted.
- The New York Times confirms the suspect is a former police officer and provides his age and hometown: 44-year-old Christopher Gillum of Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
- It reiterates that Okaloosa County deputies arrested Gillum at a Destin, Florida, hotel without incident.
- It confirms that a handgun and about 200 rounds of ammunition were recovered from his hotel room.
- Confirms the suspect is 44-year-old former North Carolina police officer Christopher Gillum of Chapel Hill.
- Specifies that Gillum was arrested Wednesday evening at a Destin, Florida hotel.
- Details that Okaloosa County deputies found a handgun and about 200 rounds of ammunition in his hotel room.
- Attributes the arrest details to a social-media post by the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office.
- Suspect is identified as 44-year-old Christopher Gillum of Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
- Authorities say Gillum is a former North Carolina police officer.
- Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office reports he was arrested without incident at a Destin, Florida hotel.
- Deputies say they found a handgun and approximately 200 rounds of ammunition in his hotel room.