Ex-Officer Arrested For Plan To Shoot Up New Orleans Jazz Festival To Harm ‘Black People’

A former cop out of North Carolina was arrested after his family warned authorities about his alleged plans to carry out a mass shooting against Black people.

A former North Carolina police officer was arrested in Florida after allegedly threatening a mass shooting at a New Orleans festival and expressing plans to target Black people, according to his family.

Christopher Gillum, 45, was taken into custody at a hotel in Destin, Florida, on April 22 after being sought in Orleans Parish on terroristic threat charges, NOLA reports. Authorities say he allegedly planned to travel to the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival to carry out a mass shooting before taking his own life.

Gillum’s family first alerted authorities, reporting that he was armed with a Glock handgun and had recently made racially motivated threats targeting Black people. Deputies in Okaloosa County later arrested him at a hotel in Destin, where they found him with a handgun and roughly 200 rounds of ammunition.

During the encounter, Gillum allegedly told officers he planned to drive to New Orleans on Thursday morning, the day the Jazz Festival was scheduled to begin. Gillum’s arrest followed a rapid, multi-state investigation. Police in Burlington issued a bulletin to locate him, noting he was missing and potentially a danger to himself. Project NOLA alerted the Louisiana State Police after receiving a tip, and officials later tracked his vehicle in Okaloosa County on April 21 using license plate readers.

Gillum moved between North Carolina agencies in the years before his arrest. He served with the Chapel Hill Police Department from 2004 to 2019, later worked for the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, returned to Chapel Hill in a civilian role, and was rehired by the Sheriff’s Office as a deputy in January 2025. He resigned in September with no disciplinary record and had even been named “Officer of the Month” the previous summer for his attention to detail during a robbery investigation.

Jazz festival organizers have since released a statement thanking law enforcement for their swift response in stopping what could have been a devastating tragedy.

“Jazz Fest is grateful to all law enforcement partners for their dedication and exceptional service in protecting our community,” organizers said. “As always, we coordinate closely with the FBI, Louisiana State Police, NOPD, NOCEM, and other agencies, and we will continue to do so as we look forward to another safe and joyful Jazz Fest.”

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry praised law enforcement agencies for their coordination, saying protecting New Orleans has been a top priority since the 2025 Bourbon Street terrorist attack that killed 14 people.

“Since the terror attack last year, we take protecting the city very seriously,” Landry said. “We’re going to continue ramping up security to keep people safe.”