Pizzagate shooter: Fresh details and charges emerge
Last week, we brought you the bizarre tale of a gunman who drove from his North Carolina home to Washington, DC, to "self-investigate" a pizza restaurant at the center of a whacko fake news conspiracy called "Pizzagate."
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WELCH entered the restaurant carrying the AR-15 across his chest, in a manner that instilled fear in everyone who saw him. As WELCH moved towards the back of the restaurant, customers and employees fled the building, fearing for their lives. While WELCH was inside the restaurant, he fired the AR-15 multiple times. Shortly after that, when an unaware employee walked through a rear door into the restaurant, WELCH turned towards the employee, such that his rifle was pointed in the direction of the employee,
who immediately fled in fear. (PDF)
WELCH appears to have been motivated, in part, by unfounded rumors concerning a child sex-trafficking ring that was being perpetrated by high-profile individuals at the Comet Ping Pong restaurant. According to evidence obtained from his cellphone, it appears that WELCH had been contemplating a violent confrontation at the restaurant since at least December 1, 2016. The evidence from WELCH's cellphone also suggests that WELCH attempted to recruit at least two other people to join him.
[Welch] searched for evidence of hidden rooms or tunnels or child sex-trafficking of any kind. WELCH stated that, at one point, he encountered a locked door. When he was unable to open the door, WELCH became suspicious and attempted to force it open with a butter knife and then by shooting the lock. WELCH said that he fired shots at the lock using his AR-15.
Raiding a pedo ring, possibly sacraficing [sic] the lives of a few for the lives of many. Standing up against a corrupt system that kidnaps, tortures, and rapes babies and children in our own backyard... defending the next generation of kids, our kids, from ever having to experience this kind of evil themselves[.] I'm sorry bro, but I'm tired of turning the channel and hoping someone does something and being thankful it's not my family. One day it will be our families. The world is too afraid to act and I'm too stubborn not to[.]
The phone camera was aimed at WELCH, who looked into the camera and told family members that he loved them; that he hoped that he had "showed it;" and that he hoped that he would be able to "tell [them] again." "And if not," he told them "don’t ever forget it."
After he found no evidence of child sex-trafficking, he exited the restaurant and surrendered himself to police officers that were already on-scene.
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For the uninitiated, Agent Holgate is describing "Pizzagate," which is a baseless conspiracy theory about a secret pedophile group, the Comet Ping Pong restaurant, and Hillary Clinton's campaign chief, John Podesta. The Pizzagate conspiracy names Comet Ping Pong as the secret headquarters of a non-existent child sex-trafficking ring run by Clinton and members of her inner circle.
