Ex-Officer Accused Of New Orleans Mass Shooting Plot Released
6 hours ago
A former police officer accused of planning a mass shooting targeting Black people in New Orleans has been released from custody after a Louisiana grand jury declined to indict him.
Christopher Gillum, 45, was arrested in Florida in April while authorities said he was traveling toward Louisiana with a handgun and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. Investigators alleged Gillum had expressed threats to harm Black people and was planning a mass shooting.
His arrest came just before the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, although authorities never publicly identified the event he was allegedly targeting. The investigation involved the FBI and law enforcement agencies in Louisiana, Florida and North Carolina.
Gillum was extradited to Louisiana and held without bond on a state terrorizing charge. However, a grand jury declined to indict him in June after determining there was insufficient evidence to move forward with the charge.
Officials said jurisdictional issues complicated the case because the alleged threat was made in North Carolina and Gillum never entered Louisiana until after his arrest.
Gillum is not currently facing charges in another jurisdiction. Louisiana officials say his family has taken him to an out-of-state treatment facility.
Christopher Gillum, 45, was arrested in Florida in April while authorities said he was traveling toward Louisiana with a handgun and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. Investigators alleged Gillum had expressed threats to harm Black people and was planning a mass shooting.
His arrest came just before the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, although authorities never publicly identified the event he was allegedly targeting. The investigation involved the FBI and law enforcement agencies in Louisiana, Florida and North Carolina.
Gillum was extradited to Louisiana and held without bond on a state terrorizing charge. However, a grand jury declined to indict him in June after determining there was insufficient evidence to move forward with the charge.
Officials said jurisdictional issues complicated the case because the alleged threat was made in North Carolina and Gillum never entered Louisiana until after his arrest.
Gillum is not currently facing charges in another jurisdiction. Louisiana officials say his family has taken him to an out-of-state treatment facility.
