Gun-Holding NC Man Storms ‘PizzaGate’ Restaurant

Police have identified him as 28-year-old Edgar Maddison Welch of Salisbury, North Carolina.

“We are at a risky place in American culture where a good percentage of people aren’t distinguishing what is a real news source based on real reporting and fact-checking and only reinforcing pre-existing ideas they have”, Amanda Kleinman, a musician whose band, Heavy Breathing, has performed at Comet Ping Pong, told The New York Times. Fortunately, no one was hurt in the incident.

He appeared in handcuffs in court Thursday wearing a white, disposable jumpsuit used when authorities take a suspect’s clothing as evidence. The department did not immediately respond to BuzzFeed News’ request for comment.

Alefantis and his employees are not the only ones to fall victim to the fake news story. A North Carolina man claiming to investigate the report is suspected of firing a gun inside the crowded family restaurant. It turns out that if you substitute in “child sex abuse” for “pizza” you can find a whole lot of evil in the world.

Google moved to combat fake news in October when it added a fact check label to dubious stories.

As the story spread online, fanned by right-leaning conspiracy theorists on discussion sites 4chan and Reddit, the restaurant owner received hundreds of threatening messages on his Instagram account. One of those people posting on the conspiracy theory is the son of President-elect Donald Trump’s proposed national security adviser.

The Comet Ping Pong restaurant for weeks had been the subject of fake news stories claiming falsely that it was the hub of a child sex ring organised by 2016 Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. The fake story was eagerly shared by Trump-lovers, Hillary-haters and the paranoid gullible, with nearly a million messages sent via Twitter containing the term “pizzagate”, according to the BBC.

On Monday, Mr. Trump’s team had no immediate response to questions about the conspiracy theory or the roll of Michael Flynn Jr.in the transition. He expressed frustration that police seemed uninterested before Sunday’s shooting in investigating more thoroughly. The restaurant will, however, be closed Monday and likely reopen on Tuesday.

Numerous people in the neighborhood and on Twitter have voiced their support for Comet Ping Pong, and they say this will only make them eat at the restaurant and support them more. No one was injured, and Welch has been charged with assault with a deadly weapon. It is unclear whether Welch has entered a plea or has obtained an attorney. The man then discharged the weapon inside the restaurant. Two of the weapons were recovered inside the restaurant, and the third from Welch’s vehicle. Police also found two other firearms besides the assault rifle in the restaurant and one in Welch’s vehicle. A DC Police statement released late Sunday noted that the gunman had explained in a post-arrest interview that he was “self-investigating” what’s come to be known as “pizzagate”.

According to Jon Stewart, there’s a solution to stop these online conspiracy theories, and it starts with credible news sources.

Around 3 p.m. Sunday, police said Welch walked inside of Comet Ping Pong, a pizzeria and music venue in the 5000 block of Connecticut Avenue in NW, with a long rifle and handgun.