Edgar Maddison Welch, the North Carolina man known for becoming the face of the “Pizzagate” conspiracy theory, was killed by two Kannapolis, N.C., police officers after he pulled a gun on them at a traffic stop on Jan. 4, officials said on Thursday, Jan. 9.
Around 10:00 p.m., a Kannapolis police officer spotted a gray 2001 GMC Yukon, which he knew was associated with a previously arrested individual, according to a press release from Kannapolis Chief of Police Terry L. Spry. Once the officer stopped the car, they recognized the front seat passenger as Welch, a person with an outstanding warrant for a felony probation violation.
As the officer and driver spoke, “two additional Kannapolis officers arrived at the traffic stop to assist,” per the press release. “The officer who initiated the traffic stop approached the passenger side of the vehicle and opened the front passenger’s door to arrest the individual.”
As the officer …