A chilling plot to carry out a mass shooting at a Louisiana festival has been stopped — and the suspect is a former law enforcement officer.
Christopher Gillum, a former Chapel Hill, North Carolina police officer, was arrested Wednesday night at a hotel in Destin, Florida. When officers entered his room, they found a handgun and nearly 200 rounds of ammunition.
Authorities say Gillum was allegedly traveling to New Orleans to carry out a mass shooting at a large festival — and then intended to be killed by police afterward.
The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office confirmed Gillum was wanted by the Louisiana Department of Public Safety for terroristic threats. He is currently being held in a Florida jail while awaiting extradition to Louisiana.
What makes this case even more alarming — Gillum served as a Chapel Hill police officer from 2004 to 2019, and even briefly returned to the department in 2024 as a non-sworn employee.
Louisiana State Police and the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force are now leading the investigation. Officials have not revealed which specific festival was being targeted — but did confirm there are currently no known threats to any Louisiana festivals.
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill praised law enforcement, calling it excellent work by the Joint Terrorism Task Force.
Which festival was allegedly targeted? And what pushed a former officer to allegedly plan something this devastating?
