Ex-Police Officer Arrested for Alleged Festival Mass Shooting Plot

A former police officer has been apprehended by authorities for allegedly planning a mass shooting targeting an unspecified number of people at a festival scheduled to take place in New Orleans, USA. The man was found to be in possession of firearms intended for the attack and materials related to the manufacturing of weapons of mass destruction.

The Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office in Florida announced on the 23rd local time that Gillum was arrested in a hotel room. Authorities seized one handgun and approximately 200 rounds of ammunition from the hotel room where Gillum was staying at the time of his arrest. The operation was conducted based on intelligence received by law enforcement. Gillum has a prior service record as a police officer with the sheriff's offices in Chapel Hill and Orange County, North Carolina.

The investigation revealed that Gillum planned a large-scale shooting at a festival venue in New Orleans and intended to provoke police gunfire to end his own life. New Orleans hosts the 'Jazz & Heritage' Festival annually, drawing crowds of about 400,000 people.