<\/p>\n
\n\tA North Carolina man was arrested in Florida for allegedly planning a mass shooting at an upcoming New Orleans music festival, presumed to be city\u2019s annual Jazz Fest.<\/p>\n
\n\tChristopher Gillum of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, a former police officer, was arrested without incident by the sheriff\u2019s department in Destin, Florida, where Gillum was staying at a hotel allegedly en route to the music festival.<\/p>\n
\n\tThe Okaloosa County Sheriff\u2019s Office wrote on social media<\/a>, \u201cThe OCSO was contacted by federal authorities in reference to a male from North Carolina being in our jurisdiction while reportedly heading to do a mass shooting at a large festival in Louisiana. Our Bravo East Deputies located the male at a Destin hotel and he was taken into custody tonight without incident as a fugitive from justice. He will be extradited to Louisiana for his charges from state police there. Excellent work by all.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tThe sheriff\u2019s department added that they recovered 200 rounds of ammunition and a handgun from Gillum\u2019s hotel room during the arrest. Gillum was wanted on charges of making terroristic threats.<\/p>\n \n\tThe Associated Press <\/em>reports<\/a> that Gillum\u2019s family reported him missing on Tuesday, telling law enforcement in North Carolina that he had a history of self-harm and \u201cexpressed recent threats to harm \u2018Black people,\u2019\u201d Lt. Clint Lyons of the Alamance County Sheriff\u2019s Office in North Carolina said.<\/p>\n \n\tGillum served as a sworn police officer in Chapel Hill from 2006 to 2019, and then as a detention officer from 2024 to September 2025, when he resigned his position.<\/p>\n \n\tWhile authorities didn\u2019t name the specific music festival Gillum was targeting, New Orleans Jazz Fest<\/a> begins Thursday, April 23.<\/p>\n