KANNAPOLIS, N.C. — A man involved in a violent incident linked to the discredited “Pizzagate” conspiracy theory was shot and killed by police during a traffic stop in North Carolina over the weekend. Edgar Maddison Welch was a passenger in a vehicle that officers pulled over in Kannapolis on Saturday night, according to a statement from the local police department.
Police officers recognized the vehicle as belonging to someone with an outstanding felony probation violation warrant—specifically, Welch. When the officers approached the car to arrest Welch, he reportedly brandished a handgun and aimed it at one of the officers. After failing to comply with commands to drop the weapon, two officers discharged their firearms, hitting Welch.
Welch was transported to a hospital but succumbed to his injuries two days later. Fortunately, none of the officers or other individuals in the car were harmed during the incident.
The background of Welch’s actions traces back to 2016 when he drove from North Carolina to Washington D.C., armed with an assault rifle. He was motivated by a baseless conspiracy theory alleging that high-profile Democrats were running a child sex trafficking operation out of Comet Ping Pong, a pizzeria. This so-called “Pizzagate” theory gained traction online amid the 2016 presidential election.
Upon entering the restaurant, Welch fired at a locked closet while patrons fled in panic. Fortunately, he soon realized there were no children in danger and surrendered without further violence. No injuries were reported in this earlier incident.
The owner of Comet Ping Pong, James Alefantis, later remarked on the psychological impact the conspiracy theory and its fallout had on him and his staff.
Welch later admitted guilt to charges of interstate transportation of a firearm and ammunition, as well as assault with a dangerous weapon in 2017. He was sentenced to four years in prison by a judge who is now U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson.
Kannapolis communications director Annette Privette Keller confirmed that Welch was the same individual involved in the “Pizzagate” episode. The circumstances surrounding Welch’s shooting death are currently being investigated by the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, and the officers involved have been placed on administrative leave as per departmental policy.
