WPBN: North Carolina police officers shot and killed a man who fired a gun inside a restaurant in Washington, District of Columbia, which was prompted by a phony online conspiracy theory called “Pizzagate” about a decade ago. The incident occurred during a traffic check that took place over the weekend.
According to a news release issued by the Kannapolis Police Department, Edgar Maddison Welch was a passenger in a car that was stopped by officers in Kannapolis on Saturday night. It was reported by the police that one of the policemen recognized the SUV as one that he had seen Welch drive in the past.
According to the authorities, the officer had previously detained Welch and was aware that he was wanted for a felony probation violation at the time of the arrest.
According to the police, shortly after the officers approached the vehicle in order to place Welch under arrest, the man pulled out a weapon and pointed it at one of the policemen.
Welch was shot by two officers, according to the authorities, after he was told to down the weapon but did not comply with the instruction.
According to the notice, Welch was taken to the hospital by emergency personnel, but he succumbed to his injuries approximately two days after his arrival. There were no injuries sustained by any of the cops, as well as the driver and another passenger.
In 2016, according to the authorities, Welch went from North Carolina to the Comet Ping Pong restaurant in Washington with an assault rifle. He did this because he believed an unproven conspiracy theory that top Democrats were running a child sex trafficking ring out of the pizza.
The hoax hypothesis, which was given the name “Pizzagate,” started making its way across the internet during the presidential election of 2016.
Welch fired his gun at a closed closet inside the restaurant right as patrons were fleeing the scene. He had entered the establishment armed. As soon as Welch saw that there were no children being held captive at the pizza restaurant, he surrendered without any violence. Absolutely no one was hurt.
James Alefantis, the proprietor of Comet Ping Pong at the time, stated that the conspiracy idea and the accompanying violence that resulted from it created a traumatic experience for him and his crew.
After some time had passed, Welch entered a guilty plea in 2017 for the charges of assault with a deadly weapon and interstate carriage of a firearm and ammunition.
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After further consideration, his judge, who is now a member of the Supreme Court, Ketanji Brown Jackson, handed down a sentence of four years in prison for him.
Annette Privette Keller, who is the director of communications for the city of Kannapolis, has confirmed that the deceased individual was the same individual who was involved in the “Pizzagate” event.
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The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation is currently conducting an investigation into the shooting death of Welch, a resident of Salisbury. The officers who fired at him have been placed on administrative leave in accordance with the protocol of the corresponding agency.
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