Pizzagate Gunman Shot Dead by US Police Following Traffic Stop | US News

January 10, 2025 TruthUSA

The individual involved in the “pizzagate” shooting incident, who discharged a firearm within a restaurant due to a fictitious online conspiracy theory, has died following an encounter with police during a traffic stop.

Edgar Maddison Welch was a passenger in a car that was pulled over by authorities in Kannapolis, North Carolina, on Saturday night, according to official statements.

An officer recognized the vehicle as belonging to a person they had previously arrested, who had an outstanding arrest warrant, the Kannapolis Police Department reported.

As the police approached the vehicle to apprehend Welch, he reportedly brandished a handgun and aimed it at an officer.

Despite being ordered to drop the weapon, he did not comply, prompting two officers to shoot Welch, according to police accounts.

He was transported to a hospital but succumbed to his injuries two days later.

Fortunately, none of the officers, nor the driver of the vehicle or the other passenger, sustained injuries.

‘Pizzagate’

In 2016, Welch attracted worldwide attention when he fired a weapon inside the Comet Ping Pong restaurant in Washington, DC.

Convinced by a baseless conspiracy theory claiming that high-profile Democrats were running a child sex trafficking operation from the pizzeria, Welch traveled from North Carolina armed with an assault rifle.

This unfounded narrative, known as “pizzagate,” gained traction online during the 2016 presidential election.

At the age of 28, Welch entered the restaurant with a weapon, causing customers to flee, and fired shots at a locked closet.

He ultimately surrendered to law enforcement after failing to uncover any evidence to substantiate the conspiracy theory, leaving no one injured in the process.

James Alefantis, the owner of the restaurant, later expressed that the conspiracy theory and the violence that ensued caused significant trauma to both him and his staff.

Welch subsequently pleaded guilty to charges including interstate transportation of a firearm and ammunition, as well as assault with a dangerous weapon, resulting in a four-year prison sentence.

Annette Privette Keller, the communications director for the City of Kannapolis, confirmed that the man who died was indeed the same individual involved in the “pizzagate” incident.

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