'Pizzagate' gunman fatally shot by police during traffic stop
Court FilingA man who opened fire at a pizza restaurant in Washington DC has been shot dead by police during a traffic stop, nine years after the incident made the "Pizzagate" conspiracy theory famous.
Edgar Maddison Welch made headlines in 2016 when he drove from North Carolina to pursue bogus claims that the Comet Ping Pong restaurant was the nexus of a child sex ring linked to Hillary Clinton's inner circle.
He served four years in prison for the shooting, before being released in March 2020.
Welch, now 36, died from his wounds caused by two police officers who fired at him after he pulled out a handgun during a traffic stop in Kannapolis, North Carolina, on 4 January, officials said on Thursday.
In a statement, Kannapolis police said there was a warrant out for his arrest on a probation violation, and officers pulled him over after recognising his vehicle.
Welch ignored multiple commands to drop the weapon before two of three officers at the scene opened fire, striking him, police said.
He died of his wounds at a hospital near Charlotte in North Carolina on 6 January.
None of the police officers involved in the incident were injured.
Kannapolis police said they would request that an outside agency investigate the incident to "ensure no bias during the investigation".
In 2016, Welch - then 28 - travelled hundreds of miles, armed with a rifle and a vague idea of wanting to "self-investigate" the Pizzagate theory.
After walking into the restaurant he pointed the rifle at an employee, who managed to flee. He later opened fire, but no injuries were reported.
Welch was arrested by police officers at the scene.
He was ultimately charged with assault with a dangerous weapon and pleaded guilty to the crime.
In a jailhouse interview with the New York Times shortly after his arrest, Welch said that he "just wanted to do some good and went about it the wrong way".
The "Pizzagate" theory originated on alternative message board 4chan, based on emails hacked from the Democratic Party and leaked by Wikileaks.
The restaurant's owner, James Alefantis, a Democratic Party donor, appears in the emails in relation to organising a Democratic fundraiser.
Despite having no evidence, users of 4chan and another message board Reddit had claimed that words in the emails, such as cheese, hot dog, and pizza, were code for young children and sex acts.