A man who shot up a pizza restaurant in Washington DC has been fatally shot by police during a traffic stop, nearly a decade after sparking the infamous “Pizzagate” conspiracy theory.
Edgar Maddison Welch gained notoriety in 2016 when he drove from North Carolina to pursue baseless allegations that the Comet Ping Pong restaurant was the epicenter of a child sex trafficking ring connected to Hillary Clinton’s inner circle. Welch was incarcerated for four years for the shooting incident, and he was released in March 2020. The 36-year-old met his demise after being wounded by two police officers who discharged their firearms when he brandished a handgun during a traffic stop in Kannapolis, North Carolina, on January 4th. According to officials, Welch succumbed to his injuries on January 6th at a hospital near Charlotte, North Carolina.
In a formal statement, the Kannapolis police confirmed that Welch had an outstanding warrant for a probation violation, prompting officers to pull him over upon identifying his vehicle. Despite repeated commands to drop the weapon, Welch failed to comply, leading two of the three officers present to open fire, ultimately striking him. None of the officers involved sustained any injuries. The Kannapolis police department announced their intention to enlist an external agency to conduct an impartial investigation into the incident.
In the 2016 incident, Welch, then 28 years old, traveled a considerable distance armed with a rifle, expressing his intention to “self-investigate” the unfounded Pizzagate theory. Upon entering the restaurant, he aimed the rifle at an employee who managed to escape. Welch proceeded to discharge his weapon, fortunately causing no injuries. Law enforcement promptly apprehended him at the scene. Subsequently, Welch faced charges of assault with a dangerous weapon and subsequently pleaded guilty.
In an interview from jail with the New York Times shortly after his arrest, Welch acknowledged that his actions were misguided, stating that he had sought to “do some good” but had gone about it in the wrong manner. The Pizzagate conspiracy theory originated on the alternative message board 4chan, stemming from hacked emails from the Democratic Party that were leaked by Wikileaks. The restaurant’s proprietor, James Alefantis, a Democratic Party benefactor, was mentioned in the emails in connection to organizing a Democratic fundraiser. Despite lacking any credible evidence, users of 4chan and the Reddit message board propagated the notion that terms in the emails like cheese, hot dog, and pizza were veiled language for illicit dealings involving minors and sexual activities.
