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A former police officer who officials said planned a deadly mass shooting at a music festival in New Orleans was in custody April 23 after being captured in northwest Florida.
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.
Gillum was in Florida, traveling to a festival in New Orleans, where he allegedly planned “to conduct a mass shooting” the sheriff’s office wrote in a news release.
A motive in the alleged planned shooting was not immediately known.
Police have not said what festival the suspect allegedly targeted.
The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (Jazz Fest) is slated to start on April 24. The event, which organizers said draws about 400,000 attendees annually, is set to run through early May, according to its website.
“Jazz Fest is grateful to all law enforcement partners for their dedication and exceptional service in protecting our community,” Matthew Goldman, Jazz Fest press director, told USA TODAY. “As always, we coordinate closely with the FBI, Louisiana State Police, NOPD (New Orleans Police Department), NOCEM (New Orleans Office of Coordination and Emergency Management), and other agencies, and we will continue to do so as we look forward to another safe and joyful Jazz Fest.”
Where was the suspect arrested?
About 6:40 p.m. ET on April 22, deputies located Gillum at a Hilton hotel in Destin and took him into custody, the sheriff’s office said.
During the arrest, the sheriff’s office said, deputies recovered 200 rounds of ammunition and a handgun from Gillum’s hotel room.
Online records showed Gillum remained jailed in Florida on April 23 where he was being held without bond. It was not immediately known whether Gillum had obtained an attorney to represent him on the charges.
The sheriff’s office said Gillum will be extradited to Louisiana to face charges filed by state police there.
Louisiana State Police Sgt. Ross Brennan said the case remained under investigation by troopers and the FBI.
“No further details are being released at this time to avoid compromising the investigation,” Ross told USA TODAY. “At this time, there are no known direct threats to any festivals in Louisiana.”
This story has been updated to add new information.
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X @nataliealund.
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‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.usatoday.com ’
