New Orleans Mass Shooting Plot Thwarted: Former Cop Arrested Ahead of Jazz Fest

A coordinated effort between law enforcement agencies across three states has successfully thwarted a planned mass shooting in New Orleans just as the city’s iconic Jazz & Heritage Festival was set to begin. Christopher Gillum, a 45-year-old former police officer from North Carolina, was arrested in Destin, Florida, on Wednesday night. Authorities allege Gillum intended to carry out a massacre at a New Orleans festival before engaging in a "suicide by cop."

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The investigation began on Tuesday when Gillum’s family reported him missing to the Alamance County Sheriff’s Office in North Carolina. Family members warned police that Gillum was armed with a Glock handgun and had expressed a desire to harm Black people. While law enforcement initially lacked criminal grounds to detain him because no specific victim had been targeted, Gillum was identified as a danger to himself and others due to a history of self-harm.

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Utilizing a vast network of FLOCK license plate reader technology, investigators tracked Gillum's vehicle as it traveled through the Southeast. He was eventually located at a hotel in Destin, where the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office took him into custody on a Louisiana charge of making terroristic threats. Upon his arrest, deputies discovered a handgun and approximately 200 rounds of ammunition in his hotel room.

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Gillum is a veteran of the law enforcement community, having served with multiple agencies in North Carolina between 2004 and 2025. His career included long stints at the Chapel Hill Police Department, as well as roles with the Carolina Beach Police Department and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. His most recent role was as a deputy for Orange County, from which he resigned in September 2025.

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While authorities have not explicitly named his intended target, the arrest coincided with the launch of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, an event that draws roughly 400,000 visitors annually. New Orleans remains on high alert following a string of violent threats over the last year, including a deadly truck ramming on Bourbon Street in January 2025 and another thwarted attack involving an ex-Marine this past December.

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Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry praised the multi-agency coordination, stating that the successful arrest demonstrates the state's commitment to public safety and intelligence gathering. Gillum currently awaits extradition from Florida to Louisiana. Louisiana State Police and the FBI are continuing the investigation into the full details and motivation behind the alleged plot.

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