The man who fired a gun inside a Washington, D.C. restaurant in 2016 allegedly motivated by a conspiracy theory called “pizzagate” is dead. Authorities said he police in North Carolina killed him on Saturday, Jan. 4.
Officials said the shooting happened in Kannapolis, North Carolina. Police said they pulled over a car in which Edgar Maddison Welch was the passenger.
One of the officers said they noticed the vehicle belonged to Welch. Officers said they’d arrested Welch in the past. He also had an outstanding warrant out for his arrest for a felony probation violation.
When officers went up to the car to arrest Welch, he pulled out a gun and pointed it at one of the officers, according to authorities.
Officers said they shouted orders for Welch to drop the handgun. However, he refused and was shot.
Welch died a couple of days later from his wounds. No other people were hurt in the shooting, according to police.
Law enforcement confirmed on Thursday, Jan. 9, that Welch is the same person sentenced to four years in prison for the “pizzagate” incident.
In 2016, Welch fired his gun inside Comet Ping Pong, a Washington D.C. pizza shop, after a slew of false internet claims accused the pizzeria of holding children as sex slaves as part of a child-sex abuse ring led by Hillary Clinton.
Police said that Welch drove six hours from North Carolina to Washington, D.C. to investigate the unfounded allegations, bringing several guns with him.
As Welch entered the restaurant armed, people fled from the scene. Welch then reportedly shot at a locked closet. After he realized no children were being held captive, he surrendered to police.
Welch pleaded guilty to gun-related charges and assault with a deadly weapon in 2017.
The judge who sentenced Welch to four years in prison at the time was now-Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson.
The shooting death of Welch is under investigation and the officers involved in the incident are on administrative leave as part of protocol, according to North Carolina officials.
