Gunman convicted in 'Pizzagate' shooting killed during traffic stop in North Carolina

Edgar Maddison Welch, the gunman convicted in the "Pizzagate" shooting driven by a conspiracy theory, was killed during traffic stop in North Carolina over the weekend and died on Monday, authorities said on Thursday.

 In 2017, Welch was sentenced to four years in prison after he pleaded guilty to weapons charges.

Welch fired shots inside the Comet Ping Pong restaurant, after a debunked conspiracy theory spread online about the restaurant being home to a child sex-trafficking ring linked in Democratic politicians. The theory became commonly known as, "Pizzagate."

Welch eventually surrendered to police.

According to The Associated Press, Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, a federal judge at the time, had sentenced Welch, arguing that the incident "literally left psychological wreckage" behind.

Police Chief Terry L. Spry of Kannapolis, North Carolina, said in a news release Thursday that Welch, who had an "outstanding warrant" for violating probation, "pulled a handgun from his jacket and pointed it in the direction of the officer." He did not lower the gun when officers ordered him to do so and was eventually shot.

"After the passenger failed to comply with their repeated requests, both officers fired their duty weapon at the passenger, striking him," Spry said.