In December 2016, a 28-year-old man from Salisbury, N.C. got into his car and drove hundreds of miles to Washington, D.C. in order go to a pizza shop. He wasn’t interested in what Comet Ping Pong was serving , but rather what he read online. Edgar Welch was concerned about an alleged child abuse ring led by Hillary Clinton, which involved children being kept as sex slaves in the basement of the store, per The New York Times . Comet Ping Pong does not have a basement.
Welch brought an AR-15 rifle which he shot inside of the restaurant. Thankfully no one was hurt and he ended up receiving a four-year prison sentence. He was back in the news in January 2025 after Welch was killed during a confrontation with police in his hometown. Almost immediately, rumors began circulating online that perhaps the Pizzagate gunman was Haliey Welch’s brother. Is there anything to that? Here’s what we know.
Is Haliey Welch’s brother the Pizzagate gunman?
The only connection Welch seems to have to the woman better known as Hawk Tuah Girl is their shared last name. As far as Haliey’s family goes, she was raised by her grandmother because her mother struggles with addiction. While appearing on the Club Random podcast, hosted by Bill Maher, the viral sensation was asked about her mother’s whereabouts. “Probably on the street doing crack somewhere,” said Haliey. She did not mention any siblings.
As far as Welch goes, he was a father to two girls. After he was arrested, Welch spoke with The New York Times and told them, “I just wanted to do some good and went about it the wrong way.” The morning of the incident, he woke up and told his family he had some things to do and drove 350 miles north. He also said he regretted how he handled the situation.
What happened to Edgar Welch?
On the evening of Jan. 4, 2025, Welch was with a friend who was driving his car when the two were stopped by an officer with the Kannapolis Police Department. The police officer recognized Welch’s vehicle because he had previously arrested the conspiracy theorist and believed he had an outstanding warrant. This was confirmed and when the officer went to arrest Welch, he pulled a handgun on him…