Edgar Maddison Welch, who was involved in the 2016 Pizzagate conspiracy theory, was shot and killed by police during a traffic stop in North Carolina.
The conspiracy theorist who entered Comet Ping Pong restaurant in Washington D.C. with two guns in late 2016 as part of the Pizzagate hoax was shot by police on Jan. 4 and died this past 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 the night of Saturday Jan. 4 while driving.
The officer recognized the vehicle as one normally driven by an individual who he had previously arrested, and knew had an outstanding warrant for arrest. A vehicle stop was made by the officer and during his interaction with the driver, the officer recognized the front seat passenger as the person with the outstanding warrant for arrest, the Kannapolis Police said in a statement. The police department’s statement says the officer was speaking with the driver when two more officers arrived on the scene, and the first officer proceeded to open the front passenger side door. When opened the door, the front seat passenger pulled a handgun from his jacket and pointed it in the direction of the officer, the police statement reads. That officer and a second officer who was standing at the rear passenger side of the Yukon gave commands for the passenger to drop the gun. After the passenger failed to comply with their repeated requests, both officers fired their duty weapon at the passenger, striking him. Medical personnel were immediately summoned for the passenger and Welch was transported to the Atrium Health Cabarrus hospital in Concord before being transferred to an Atrium hospital in Charlotte when he died on Jan. 6. The three officers on the traffic stop, along with the driver and a back seat passenger of the Yukon were all uninjured in this incident, the statement reads. The officers who fired their guns were identified as Officer Brooks Jones and Officer Caleb Tate, who are now on administrative leave, though specifics about how many shots were fired and who may have struck Welch were not released. A third officer on the scene who was not identified didn’t fire their weapon. In Dec. 2016, Welch drove from North Carolina to Washington D.C. looking for kidnapped and abused children he believed were being held in the restaurant’s basement, a conspiracy theory involving former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton that became extremely popular online in the lead-up to the 2016 election. Welch entered Comet Ping Pong with an AR-15 and a revolver, having a shotgun in his car, and sent families with children fleeing in terror. Welch was reportedly confused when he was told Comet Ping Pong had no basement, a central feature of the conspiracy theory that children were being trafficked and abused there. Pizzagate was started after emails from Clinton’s campaign manager John Podesta were released by WikiLeaks and conspiracy theorists became obsessed with the discussion of pizza and the Washington D.C. pizza place by name. Alex Jones was instrumental in helping push the conspiracy theory, along with other right-wing influencers like Mike Cernovich and Jack Posobiec. Here in 2024, Posobiec has become even more influential as the editor of Human Events, a “news” outlet that churns out articles sometimes shared by president-elect Donald Trump. Cernovich also has some influence here in the 2020s, as someone who frequently interacts with billionaire Elon Musk. “When I think about all the children Hillary Clinton has personally murdered and chopped up and raped, I have zero fear standing up against her,” Jones said in a since-deleted. “Yeah, you heard me right. Hillary Clinton has personally murdered children. I just can’t hold back the truth anymore.” Jones was later banned from YouTube and several other mainstream social media platforms, but was allowed to return to X after Musk bought the site. The InfoWars host has not yet commented on Welch’s killing, but it seems like a safe bet that he eventually will. Welch ultimately pleaded guilty in 2017 to interstate transportation of a firearm and ammunition and was sentenced to four years in prison. After his arrest, Welch told the, “I regret how I handled the situation” but still seemed convinced the Pizzagate conspiracy theory was real, only conceding that “the intel on this wasn’t 100%.
Pizzagate Conspiracy Theory Shooting Police North Carolina Edgar Maddison Welch
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Tucker Carlson Gives Platform to Anti-Israel Conspiracy TheoristTucker Carlson's latest X interview features economist Jeffrey Sachs, who promotes unverified claims about Israel's influence in Syria and American politics.
Read more »
From Conspiracy Theorist to Skeptic: One Man's Journey Out of the Rabbit HoleA former conspiracy theorist shares his experience falling down the rabbit hole and ultimately de-radicalizing himself. He discusses his past beliefs, including 9/11 Trutherism, the Bilderberg Group, Nibiru, and fluoride conspiracies, and how he came to question his own convictions.
Read more »
23 Absolutely Fascinating Confessions From A Former Conspiracy Theorist Who De-Radicalized Themself'I didn't plan my life after 2012 because I didn't expect the world in its current state to still be around after that. When it didn't happen, I needed a plan for my life, so I finally went to college and learned how to do proper research.'
Read more »
Flat Earther Expedition to Antartica Bolsters Case That Our Planet Is RoundConspiracy theorist influencers set out to prove the shape of our planet.
Read more »
Man Killed in Police Shooting After Brandishing Gun, Had History of Conspiracy TheoriesA man who had previously been involved in a bizarre conspiracy theory involving a Washington, D.C. pizzeria was killed in a police shooting after brandishing a handgun. The incident occurred when police officers pulled over a vehicle he was a passenger in.
Read more »
'You killed a mother': Family of woman killed in crash involving fleeing shooting suspect speaks outThe family of a pregnant woman who lost her life in a crash involving a driver fleeing from a shooting is speaking out about their loss.
Read more »