Ex-officer accused of plotting New Orleans attack is released after grand jury declines to indict
Authorities arrested ex-officer Christopher Gillum in Florida with ammunition and a handgun, alleging he planned a racially motivated mass shooting at a New Orleans festival.
- A Louisiana grand jury in June declined to indict 45-year-old former police officer Christopher Gillum on state terrorism charges, leading to his release from custody.
- On April 22, 2026, Okaloosa County deputies arrested Gillum at a Destin, Florida, hotel with a handgun and approximately 200 rounds of ammunition after he allegedly planned to drive to New Orleans to conduct a mass shooting.
- Several jurisdictional issues complicated the case because Gillum never entered Louisiana before his arrest, and Louisiana's statute for "terrorizing" requires that a crime of violence be imminent or in progress.
- Following the grand jury decision, Gillum's family took him "to a treatment facility out of the state," according to Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill's office, and he faces no additional criminal charges elsewhere.
- Former FBI executive Katherine Schweit noted that thwarted acts of mass violence do not always lead to indictments because "it's very difficult to convince a jury" when no act occurs; the investigation involved federal and state authorities across Louisiana, North Carolina, and Florida.
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Spectrum Local News
Ex-N.C. officer accused of plotting New Orleans attack released, no indictment
The ex-police officer from Chapel Hill, was arrested in Florida with weapons heading to Louisiana to commit a mass shooting, authorities said.
A White Man Gets Away With Plotting A Mass Shooting Against Black People [Op-Ed]
Source: Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office / Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office. Back in April, a former North Carolina police officer was arrested in Florida after being accused of planning to kill Black people in a mass shooting at a major music festival in New Orleans. In June, a Louisiana grand jury declined to indict the ex-cop on a state terrorism charge, and now, we learn that 45-year-old Christopher Gillum has been quietly released from cus…
Former North Carolina officer accused of planning mass shooting at New Orleans festival will not be indicted, court records state
A former North Carolina cop who was reportedly planning a mass shooting at a New Orleans festival was released from police custody, according to court records.
Grand jury declines charges against man accused in festival plot
A grand jury declined to indict a North Carolina man accused of potentially plotting a New Orleans festival mass shooting. He was arrested in Florida with hundreds of rounds of ammunition and a handgun.
Former NC cop accused of planning attack at N.O. festival to not be indicted, AG Murrill comments
A former North Carolina cop who was reportedly planning a mass shooting at a New Orleans festival was released from police custody, according to court records.
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