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A North Carolina man was arrested in Destin, Florida, for allegedly plotting a mass shooting in New Orleans.The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office said Christopher Gillum was located at a hotel in Destin Wednesday evening and was taken into custody without incident. In a social media post, authorities said they learned that Gillum planned to travel to a festival in New Orleans to conduct a mass shooting and then commit suicide by cop.Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office deputies say they recovered a handgun and approximately 200 rounds of ammunition from Gillum’s hotel room. He is being held in the Okaloosa County jail pending extradition to Louisiana. WRAL reported that Gillum was a former Chapel Hill police officer between 2004 and his resignation in 2019. He returned as a non-sworn employee in 2024, then left for another job by the end of that year. The town of Chapel Hill spokesperson did not provide details on his role as a non-sworn employee. New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno issued the following statement on his arrest: “I want to recognize the tremendous coordinated and swift work by the New Orleans FBI, Louisiana State Police, NOPD, NOCEM and Governor. This level of coordination extended to law enforcement agencies in multiple states from North Carolina to Florida. This is where urgent collaboration and cooperation pays off. Job well done! We will continue working closely with our law enforcement partners at every level to ensure that any potential danger is addressed quickly and decisively. The safety of our residents and visitors will always be my top priority.”Louisiana State Police issued the following statement on the arrest: “LSP, in coordination with our FBI partners, is actively conducting an investigation. While a suspect has been taken into custody in Florida, the investigation remains ongoing, and no further details are being released at this time to avoid compromising the investigation. At this time, there are no known direct threats to any festivals in Louisiana, but we are constantly working with Local, State, and Federal partners through our Louisiana State Analytical and Fusion Exchange Center to ensure safety.”
A North Carolina man was arrested in Destin, Florida, for allegedly plotting a mass shooting in New Orleans.
The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office said Christopher Gillum was located at a hotel in Destin Wednesday evening and was taken into custody without incident.
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In a social media post, authorities said they learned that Gillum planned to travel to a festival in New Orleans to conduct a mass shooting and then commit suicide by cop.
Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office deputies say they recovered a handgun and approximately 200 rounds of ammunition from Gillum’s hotel room.
He is being held in the Okaloosa County jail pending extradition to Louisiana.
WRAL reported that Gillum was a former Chapel Hill police officer between 2004 and his resignation in 2019.
He returned as a non-sworn employee in 2024, then left for another job by the end of that year. The town of Chapel Hill spokesperson did not provide details on his role as a non-sworn employee.
New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno issued the following statement on his arrest:
“I want to recognize the tremendous coordinated and swift work by the New Orleans FBI, Louisiana State Police, NOPD, NOCEM and Governor. This level of coordination extended to law enforcement agencies in multiple states from North Carolina to Florida. This is where urgent collaboration and cooperation pays off. Job well done! We will continue working closely with our law enforcement partners at every level to ensure that any potential danger is addressed quickly and decisively. The safety of our residents and visitors will always be my top priority.”
Louisiana State Police issued the following statement on the arrest:
“LSP, in coordination with our FBI partners, is actively conducting an investigation. While a suspect has been taken into custody in Florida, the investigation remains ongoing, and no further details are being released at this time to avoid compromising the investigation. At this time, there are no known direct threats to any festivals in Louisiana, but we are constantly working with Local, State, and Federal partners through our Louisiana State Analytical and Fusion Exchange Center to ensure safety.”
