Edgar Maddison Welch, the man who gained notoriety for firing an assault rifle inside a Washington, D.C. pizza restaurant in 2016 due to the “Pizzagate” conspiracy theory, was fatally shot by police in Kannapolis, North Carolina, over the weekend, The Associated Press reports.
According to a Kannapolis Police Department news release, the incident occurred on Saturday night during a traffic stop. An officer recognized the vehicle as belonging to an individual, later identified as Welch, who had an outstanding warrant for a felony probation violation.
Police stated that as officers approached the vehicle to arrest Welch, he allegedly produced a handgun and pointed it at one of the officers. After being ordered to drop the weapon and failing to comply, two officers opened fire, striking Welch.
Welch was transported to a local hospital where he succumbed to his injuries two days later. No officers, the driver, or a second passenger in the vehicle were injured during the incident.
Welch’s past notoriety stems from a 2016 incident fueled by the now-debunked “Pizzagate” conspiracy theory, which falsely claimed that prominent Democrats were running a child sex trafficking ring out of Comet Ping Pong restaurant in Washington, D.C. Driven by this online conspiracy, Welch drove from North Carolina to the pizzeria armed with an assault rifle and fired shots inside a locked closet. No one was injured during the incident, and Welch eventually surrendered peacefully after realizing the conspiracy was false.
At the time, Comet Ping Pong owner, James Alefantis, described the trauma inflicted on himself and his staff due to the “Pizzagate” conspiracy and its violent manifestation.
Welch pleaded guilty in 2017 to interstate transportation of a firearm and ammunition and assault with a dangerous weapon. He was sentenced to four years in prison by then-District Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, who is now a Supreme Court Justice.
Annette Privette Keller, communications director for the City of Kannapolis, confirmed that the man killed in the weekend shooting was indeed the same Edgar Maddison Welch involved in the “Pizzagate” incident.
