NEW ORLEANS — A Louisiana grand jury declined to indict Christopher Gillum on state terrorism charges in June. Gillum was released from custody shortly after the grand jury's decision.

The grand jury declined to charge Gillum with state terrorism, a crime that could have carried up to a 15-year sentence. Authorities accused Gillum of planning to kill Black people in a mass shooting at a New Orleans festival.

Gillum is a 45-year-old former police officer from Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Authorities arrested him in Florida in April with hundreds of rounds of ammunition and a handgun. Gillum was arrested at a Florida hotel on the eve of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.

Gillum expressed recent threats to harm 'Black people', according to authorities. The investigation involved the FBI and authorities across Louisiana, North Carolina, and Florida.

Gillum had been held without bond prior to his release. He is not facing charges in any other jurisdictions, according to his attorney.

Lester Duhe, a spokesperson for Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill, said Gillum’s family took him to a treatment facility out of the state. Duhe said there were several jurisdictional issues that complicated the case after Gillum was extradited to Louisiana.

"The threat relayed to a family member actually occurred in North Carolina," Duhe said. "The defendant never entered the State of Louisiana until after his arrest."

he added that Gillum had been planning to travel to the Florida Keys during the same period he would have been suspected to travel to Louisiana. Murrill said statements Gillum allegedly made to family members were vague and did not directly state an intention to commit a crime in Louisiana.

Gillum was charged under a Louisiana statute for the crime of 'terrorizing,' which requires that a crime of violence is imminent or in progress or that a circumstance dangerous to human life exists or is about to exist. Law enforcement authorities in North Carolina told reporters they were not aware Gillum had been released from custody.

"If we’ve got an individual that was accused of such an action, we would want to know if in fact he did return to Alamance County," said Byron Tucker, a spokesperson for the Alamance County Sheriff’s Office in North Carolina. The FBI New Orleans office said the decision whether to charge Gillum rested with prosecutors.

Why It Matters

The case illustrates the legal challenges in prosecuting individuals for planned acts of violence that are thwarted before execution. Jurisdictional boundaries and the specificity of alleged threats played central roles in the grand jury's determination.

The involvement of multiple state and federal agencies shows the complexity of coordinating investigations across state lines. The outcome leaves open questions regarding potential federal charges and the specific nature of the threats communicated to family members.

Timeline

On June 18, 2013, Landford Anthony Payne appealed the district court’s judgment dismissing his civil writ of mandamus in Payne v. Ouachita Parish Tax Assessor Custodian of Records. On October 23, 2025, the Department of Energy held a public meeting to discuss the development of voluntary agreements and plans of action under the Defense Production Act.

Gillum's arrest occurred on the eve of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival on April 30, 2026. Authorities arrested Gillum in Florida in April with hundreds of rounds of ammunition and a handgun, and he was arrested at a Florida hotel on the same date. A Louisiana grand jury declined to indict Christopher Gillum in June on June 30, 2026.

The grand jury declined to charge Gillum with state terrorism, a crime that could have carried up to a 15-year sentence, on June 30, 2026. Christopher Gillum was released from custody shortly after the grand jury's decision on June 30, 2026.

What's New

Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said statements Gillum allegedly made to family members were vague and did not directly state an intention to commit a crime in Louisiana. "Though the Grand Jury declined charges based on these facts, I want to thank state and federal law enforcement officials who coordinated and successfully stopped this individual in Florida from carrying out whatever it was he was planning, wherever he might have been planning to carry it out," he said.

Earlier coverage on 2026-08-13 reported: Ex-officer accused of plotting New Orleans attack is released after grand jury declines to indict. PureSource News previously reported: Louisiana Supreme Court Upholds Law Abolishing Elected Clerk Post. Gillum was arrested at a Florida hotel. Florida Keys is coral cay archipelago in Florida, United States of America.