A former North Carolina law enforcement officer is accused of planning a mass shooting targeting Black people at a major New Orleans festival, according to authorities who say the suspect was stopped in Florida before he could carry out the attack.

He was arrested inside a Florida hotel room with a handgun and roughly 200 rounds of ammunition, halting what officials described as a potential large-scale act of violence aimed at a crowded public event.

BREAKING INVESTIGATION: MULTI-STATE THREAT RESPONSE

Authorities in several states have not publicly named the specific target, but the timing aligns with the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, known as Jazz Fest, which runs from Thursday through May 3 and draws massive crowds. Organizers say about 460,000 people attended last year.

Law enforcement identified the suspect as Christopher Gillum of Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office in Florida said he was wanted for “terroristic threats”.

Federal authorities alerted deputies that Gillum, who is white, was traveling through the Florida Panhandle “heading to do a mass shooting at a large festival in Louisiana.” The FBI office in New Orleans confirmed it is coordinating the investigation across Louisiana, Florida, and North Carolina.

ARREST AT DESTIN HOTEL STOPS ALLEGED PLOT

Gillum was taken into custody Wednesday night at a hotel in Destin, Florida, without incident, according to the sheriff’s office. Authorities released an image showing him being led away in handcuffs.

Deputies say they recovered a handgun and about 200 rounds of ammunition from his hotel room.

He was arrested as a fugitive from justice and is expected to be extradited to Louisiana, where additional charges are anticipated. Officials have not confirmed whether he has legal representation.

WARNING SIGNS BEFORE THE ARREST

Gillum’s family reported him missing on Tuesday. According to Lt. Clint Lyons of the Alamance County Sheriff’s Office in North Carolina, he has a documented history of self-harm.

Authorities say his family also warned law enforcement that he had a gun and had “expressed recent threats to harm ‘Black people,’” according to a bulletin from Burlington police.

Lyons said Gillum left North Carolina before officials could complete paperwork for an involuntary psychiatric commitment. He noted there were no criminal grounds to detain him at that time because there was no identified victim, but authorities shared information with other agencies due to the threat level.

Gillum was later located in Florida on Wednesday. However, according to law enforcement bulletins, he “did not present any grounds for involuntary commitment or criminal charges” during an initial encounter and was allowed to continue traveling.

Officials say Gillum told officers he was “enroute to New Orleans,” raising further concern as investigators tracked his movements.

COORDINATED LAW ENFORCEMENT RESPONSE

Okaloosa County deputies initially conducted a welfare check on Gillum but were not yet aware of the alleged violent threats, according to sheriff spokesperson Michele Nicholson.

Later, after learning more about the investigation, deputies placed him under surveillance until a Louisiana arrest warrant was secured.

“At this time, there are no known direct threats to any festivals in Louisiana,” State Police spokesperson Trooper Danny Berrincha said.

FORMER LAW ENFORCEMENT CAREER

Gillum previously worked across multiple North Carolina agencies. He served as a sworn officer in Chapel Hill from 2004 until his resignation in 2019, according to town officials.

He later worked in Carolina Beach from October 2019 until resigning the following year.

In 2023, he became a detention officer with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office but left in July 2024. He briefly returned to Chapel Hill as a non-sworn employee later that year before leaving again.

He was rehired as a deputy in January 2025 but resigned that September, officials said.

INVESTIGATION CONTINUES

Federal and state authorities continue to examine Gillum’s movements, communications, and intent as they work to determine how close he may have come to carrying out an attack on a crowded festival event that could have drawn hundreds of thousands of attendees.