'Pizzagate' gunman killed by police after traffic stop

The "pizzagate" gunman who fired a firearm wrong a restaurant, acting connected a fake online conspiracy theory, has died aft constabulary changeable him pursuing a postulation stop.

Edgar Maddison Welch was a rider successful a conveyance stopped by constabulary successful Kannapolis, North Carolina, connected Saturday night, the authorities said.

One of the officers recognised the car arsenic belonging to idiosyncratic they had arrested and who had an outstanding apprehension warrant, Kannapolis Police Department said successful a statement.

When constabulary approached the conveyance to apprehension Welch, helium was said to person pulled retired a handgun and pointed it astatine an officer.

He was instructed to driblet the limb but didn't and 2 officers changeable Welch, constabulary said.

He was taken to infirmary and died from his injuries 2 days later.

None of the officers, nor the car's operator oregon different rider were injured.

'Pizzagate'

In 2016, Welch made planetary headlines aft helium fired a changeable wrong the Comet Ping Pong edifice successful Washington DC.

Believing an unfounded conspiracy mentation that salient Democrats were operating a kid enactment trafficking ringing retired of the pizzeria, Welch drove from North Carolina with an battle firearm to the restaurant.

The fake mentation was dubbed "pizzagate" and had surfaced online during the 2016 statesmanlike election.

Welch, 28 astatine the time, had entered the edifice armed, arsenic customers fled the scene, and changeable astatine a locked closet.

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He ended up surrendering to constabulary aft failing to find immoderate grounds to enactment the conspiracy theory, with nary 1 suffering immoderate injuries.

At the time, the restaurant's proprietor James Alefantis said the conspiracy mentation and consequent unit traumatised him and his staff.

Welch aboriginal pleaded blameworthy to interstate proscription of a firearm and ammunition and battle with a unsafe limb and was sentenced to 4 years successful prison.

City of Kannapolis communications manager Annette Privette Keller confirmed the antheral who died was the aforesaid 1 progressive successful the "pizzagate" incident.