Former officer arrested for alleged shooting plot in New Orleans
By Danielle Haynes
April 23 (UPI) — Law enforcement in Louisiana announced Thursday that they arrested a former police officer from North Carolina on allegations he planned to carry out a mass shooting at a New Orleans music festival.
The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office arrested Christopher Gillum, 44, on Wednesday night while he was en route to Orleans Parish. The sheriff’s office said he had a handgun and about 200 rounds of ammunition in his Destin hotel room.
He was wanted by the Louisiana Department of Public Safety in Orleans Parish on charges of terroristic threats. Officials said he planned to “commit suicide by cop” after the mass shooting, WTVD-TV in North Carolina reported.
New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno praised the work of the law enforcement agencies responsible for capturing Gillum.
https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2026/04/23/new-orleans-shooting-plot/4241776962909/
Christopher Gillum of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, was arrested without incident by Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office deputies one day earlier after they were tipped off by federal law enforcement that he was in Destin, a city in the state’s panhandle.
At the time of his arrest, Gillum was wanted in Orleans Parish by the Louisiana Department of Public Safety on terroristic threats charges.
Gillum, 45, is a former police officer with the Chapel Hill Police Department in North Carolina, where he worked from 2004 to 2019, Alex Carrasquillo, communications manager with the town of Chapel Hill, confirmed to USA TODAY.
He returned as a non-sworn employee in 2024 before leaving for another job by the end of that year.
AC