Trending Now - Law Enforcement Foils Mass Shooting Plot at New Orleans Festival
WHO:
CNN - Christopher Gillum, 45, a former law enforcement officer from Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
PBS - Gillum was reported missing by his family on April 19th, 2026.
CNN - Lt. Clint Lyons of the Alamance County Sheriff’s Office in North Carolina.
CNN - Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office in Florida.
PBS - FBI in New Orleans.
WHAT:
CNN - Gillum expressed a desire to "commit suicide by cop" after planning the mass shooting.
CNN - Louisiana State Police stated they are not aware of other credible threats to festivals in Louisiana.
CNN - Gillum worked for at least three law enforcement agencies in North Carolina between 2004 and 2025.
CNN - Gillum was hired again by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office in January 2025 as a deputy but resigned in September 2025.
CNN - Gillum was arrested on April 20th, 2026, in Florida on a charge of making terroristic threats.
PBS - Gillum was found with a handgun and about 200 rounds of ammunition in his hotel room.
CNN - Authorities believe Gillum planned to conduct a mass shooting at a festival in New Orleans.
PBS - The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, commonly known as Jazz Fest, runs from April 20th to May 3rd, 2026, and attracted about 460,000 attendees in 2025.
WHERE:
CNN - Gillum was arrested in Destin, Florida, over 600 miles away from New Orleans.
PBS - The Jazz Fest is held at the Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots in New Orleans, approximately 2.5 miles from Bourbon Street.
WHEN:
CNN - Gillum was reported missing on April 19th, 2026.
CNN - Gillum was arrested on April 20th, 2026.
PBS - The Jazz Fest runs from April 20th to May 3rd, 2026.
WHY:
CNN - Gillum's family reported him missing on April 19th, 2026, and indicated he had a history of self-harm.
CNN - Gillum expressed a desire to harm Black people and threatened to carry out a mass shooting.
PBS - Gillum's family indicated he had a Glock handgun and had made threats against Black people.
HOW:
CNN - Investigators used FLOCK license plate reader technology to locate Gillum at a hotel in Destin, Florida.
CNN - Investigators used license plate readers to track Gillum's movements to Florida.
CNN - Authorities disseminated an intelligence bulletin to various law enforcement agencies to locate Gillum.
PBS - Gillum was initially stopped for a welfare check before being arrested after law enforcement learned of his violent threats.
(UPDATED April 24, 2026 11:19 UTC)
In a troubling development, authorities have reported that Gillum expressed a desire to "commit suicide by cop" while planning a mass shooting, raising serious concerns about his mental state. His family had reported him missing on Sunday, indicating a history of self-harm, and investigators later located him at a hotel in Destin, Florida, using FLOCK license plate reader technology. Gillum, who worked for multiple law enforcement agencies in North Carolina and was most recently a deputy with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office before resigning in September 20th25, is now under scrutiny following these alarming revelations.
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(UPDATED April 24, 2026 09:28 UTC)
Christopher Gillum, a 45-year-old former law enforcement officer from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, was reported missing by his family on Sunday and was arrested the following day in Destin, Florida, on charges of making terroristic threats. Authorities found him with a handgun and approximately 200 rounds of ammunition, and they believe he intended to carry out a mass shooting at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, which runs from on Monday to May 3rd. Investigators tracked Gillum's movements using license plate readers and issued an intelligence bulletin to locate him, leading to his arrest after a welfare check revealed his violent intentions.