Infamous 'Pizzagate' gunman shot dead after pulling gun during traffic stop: report
The man who became infamous for the armed storming of a pizzeria in Washington, D.C. over a conspiracy theory was killed by North Carolina police in a traffic stop, reported the Charlotte Observer on Thursday.
The incident occurred on Saturday as Edgar Maddison Welch sat in the passenger seat of a GMC SUV when an officer pulled it over, Kannapolis police said in a news release Thursday.
"The officer recognized the vehicle, having arrested Welch in the past, and knew he had an outstanding warrant for his arrest for a felony probation violation, police said," according to the Observer. "The press release said the officer spoke with the vehicle’s driver and recognized Welch in the passenger seat as two more officers arrived."
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According to the report, the situation escalated when the first officer approached the front passenger seat, intending to place Welch under arrest. Welch pulled a handgun from his jacket and pointed it at him, police said. After refusing orders to drop the gun, two officers, Caleb Tate and Brooks Jones, opened fire, mortally wounding him. He died at a hospital in Charlotte two days later.
North Carolina officials have placed Tate and Jones on administrative leave as they investigate the incident.
Welch, who also has a history of drug and alcohol-related charges, is best known for an incident in 2017 in which he burst into Comet Ping Pong Pizza in Washington D.C. with a high-powered rifle and opened fire. He was investigating "Pizzagate," a conspiracy theory in right-wing circles that the owner of the shop — who was known for hosting events for prominent political figures — was running a child sex trafficking operation out of the shop's basement on behalf of Hillary Clinton.
The theory was easily debunked for several reasons, including that the shop didn't have a basement.
Welch did not shoot anyone in the incident and later pleaded guilty to charges. He apologized for his plan to "self-investigate" the conspiracy theory and was sentenced to four years in prison. He was released in 2021.