A Louisiana grand jury declined to indict former law enforcement officer Christopher Gillum in June, leading to his quiet release from custody. Gillum had been accused of planning a mass shooting targeting Black people at a New Orleans festival. He had been held without bond since his arrest.
Gillum, 45, who is White, was arrested in Florida in April. Authorities found hundreds of rounds of ammunition and a handgun in his possession. The Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office made the arrest as Gillum traveled toward Louisiana.
His family in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, had reported him missing. They also told authorities Gillum had a history of self-harm and had made recent threats to harm Black people. The investigation involved the FBI and law enforcement agencies across North Carolina, Florida and Louisiana.
Authorities did not publicly name the specific event Gillum allegedly targeted. His arrest came just before the annual New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, an event that draws hundreds of thousands of attendees each year.
Gillum's attorney, Dylan Utley, confirmed his client's release shortly after the grand jury's decision. Utley said Gillum is not facing charges in any other jurisdiction. The release had not been reported previously.
Lester Duhe, a spokesperson for Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill, said Gillum's family took him to an out-of-state treatment facility. Duhe also cited "several jurisdictional issues" that complicated the case. The alleged threat occurred in North Carolina, and Gillum had not entered Louisiana before his arrest.
Gillum was charged under a Louisiana statute for "terrorizing"—a law that requires evidence that "a crime of violence is imminent or in progress or that a circumstance dangerous to human life exists or is about to exist."
Jonathan Guidry, the foreperson for the grand jury, declined to comment on the decision.
Katherine Schweit, a former Chicago prosecutor and FBI executive who led the agency's active shooter program, said thwarted acts of mass violence do not always result in indictments. "It's very difficult to convince a jury, or to convince a grand jury, that something might have happened," she said.
