Conspiracy theorist who entered Comet Ping Pong restaurant in Washington, D.C. with two guns in late 2016 as part of a scheme Pizza Gate Hysteria He was shot by police in January and died last Monday. According to a press release from the Kannapolis Police Department. In North Carolina, Edgar Maddison Welch was a passenger in a vehicle that was pulled over by police on Saturday night, January 1, while driving. Gray 2001 GMC Yukon Based Kannapolis Police Department–
“The officer recognized the car to be a vehicle normally driven by a person he had previously arrested. and knew he had an outstanding arrest warrant. The officer stopped the car. and during his interaction with the driver Officers recognized the front seat passenger as a person with an outstanding warrant,” Kannapolis police specified in the statement
A statement from the police department said: The officer is talking with the driver. when two more officers arrived at the scene. and the first officer opened the front passenger door.
“When (the officer) opened the door, the front seat passenger pulled a handgun from his jacket and pointed it in the officer's direction,” a police statement said. “That officer and a second officer who was standing in the rear passenger side of the Yukon ordered the passenger to put down his gun. After the passenger failed to comply with repeated requests The two officers then fired their weapons at the passenger and attacked him.”
A police statement claimed that medical assistance was “The passenger was immediately called,” and Welch was transported to Atrium Health Cabarrus Hospital in Concord. before being transferred to Atrium Hospital in Charlotte. When he died on January 1, 6.
“Three officers at the traffic stop. The driver and backseat passenger of the Yukon were not injured in the incident,” the statement said.
The officers who fired the shots were identified as Officer Brooks Jones and Officer Caleb Tate, who are currently on administrative leave. Although specific information about how many shots were fired and who may have attacked Welch has not been released. A third officer on the scene, who has not been identified, did not fire his weapon.
In December 2016, Welch drove from North Carolina to Washington, D.C., looking for a kidnapped and abused child he believed was being held in a restaurant's basement. It's a conspiracy theory involving former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton that gained popularity online in the lead-up to the 2016 election. Welch entered the Ping-Pong Comet with an AR-15. and revolver with a shotgun in the car and send families with children Fleeing in Fear Welch was reportedly confused when told that Comet Ping Pong did not have a basement. which is a key feature of the conspiracy theory that children are trafficked and abused there. Pizzagate began after emails from Clinton campaign manager John Podesta were published by WikiLeaks, and conspiracy theorists became obsessed with it. Discuss pizza and pizza places in Washington, D.C. by name.
Alex Jones was instrumental in helping push the conspiracy theory. Joining other right-wing influencers like Mike Cernovich and Jack Posobiec here in 2024, Posobiec has even more influence as the editor of Human Events, a “news” outlet that aggregates articles. Sometimes shared by President Donald Trump voters, Cernovich also had some influence here during 2020 as someone who often interacts with billionaire Elon Musk.
“When I think of all the children Hillary Clinton has murdered, hacked and raped, I can't stand to stand up to her,” Jones said in a since-deleted message. YouTube video Posted on Nov. on 4 Nov. 2016, based on washington post– “Yes, you heard me right, Hillary Clinton personally killed children. I can't stand the truth any longer.”
Jones was later banned from YouTube and other major social media platforms. many more platforms But it was allowed to return to X after Musk bought the site. The InfoWars host has yet to comment on Welch's killing, but it seems like a safe bet he eventually will.
Welch eventually pleaded guilty in 2017 to charges of transporting firearms and ammunition across state lines. and was sentenced to 4 years in prison after being arrested. Welch told the officer. new york times“I regret how I handled this situation,” but appeared to still believe the Pizzagate conspiracy theory was real, only admitting that “The information on this matter is not 100% accurate.”