Grand Jury Frees 45-Year-Old Ex-Officer in New Orleans Attack Plot After 15-Year Charge Fails
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Aug 15
Grand Jury Frees 45-Year-Old Ex-Officer in New Orleans Attack Plot After 15-Year Charge Fails
3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Aug 15
Summary
June court records show a Louisiana grand jury declined to indict Christopher Gillum on a state terrorism charge, and the 45-year-old was released from custody shortly afterward.
Authorities had arrested Gillum in Florida in April with a handgun and hundreds of rounds of ammunition, alleging he was headed to Louisiana to carry out a mass shooting targeting Black people.
Louisiana Attorney General spokesperson Lester Duhé said jurisdictional problems weakened the case because the threat was relayed in North Carolina and Gillum never entered Louisiana until after his arrest.
Gillum is not facing charges in other jurisdictions, according to his lawyer and Louisiana officials; his family has taken him to an out-of-state treatment facility.
The case underscores how thwarted mass-violence plots can be hard to prosecute when intent is clear to investigators but imminent criminal conduct is difficult to prove to a grand jury.