A gunman said he just 'wanted to do some good' but 'went about it the wrong way' when he fired a rifle inside a Washington, D.C. pizzeria while trying to 'self-investigate' a fake-news conspiracy about Hillary Clinton running a child sex ring.

Edgar Maddison Welch, 28, of North Carolina was arrested on several charges after storming pizza joint Comet Ping Pong on Sunday.

Speaking in his first news interview since his arrest, he told The New York Times he had acted in haste and regrets how he handled the situation.

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Edgar Maddison Welch, 28 of North Carolina is pictured on December 4 as he surrenders to police. Welch, who said he was investigating a conspiracy theory about Hillary Clinton running a child sex ring out of a pizza place, fired an assault rifle inside the restaurant

Police shut down Connecticut Avenue outside Comet Ping Pong after Welch opened fire. The pizza restaurant was the subject of a fake news story claiming it was the center of a child sex ring orchestrated by Hillary Clinton and her campaign chief, John Podesta

'I just wanted to do some good and went about it the wrong way,' he told the Times during a video conference on Wednesday.

Welch, the father of two daughters, said when he woke up on Sunday morning, he told his family he had things to do before leaving Salisbury and heading for D.C.

His plan was to give the restaurant a 'closer look' before returning home later that day, he said.

But as he made the 350-mile drive to Washington, he felt his 'heart breaking over the thought of innocent people suffering,' according to the Times.

The plan quickly changed once he arrived at Comet Ping Pong - so named because patrons can play Ping-Pong on tables in the back.

Speaking in his first news interview since his arrest, Welch (pictured in a Facebook photo) told The New York Times he had acted in haste and regrets how he handled the situation

However, Welch did not say why he had carried an AR-15 assault rifle into the restaurant and opened fire, according to the Times.

Court records state he fired the rifle in the restaurant multiple times but later walked out with his hands up, leaving his rifle and other weapons inside.

No one was injured in the shooting.

He told police he had 'read online that the Comet restaurant was harboring child sex slaves and that he wanted to see for himself if they were there,' authorities said.

Welch, who said he has grown religious in recent years, said he 'was armed to help rescue them,' police said.

After finding 'no evidence that underage children were being harbored in the restaurant,' Welch 'surrendered peacefully,' according to authorities.

Welch told police he had 'read online that the Comet restaurant was harboring child sex slaves and that he wanted to see for himself if they were there,' authorities said

Police surround Comet Ping Pong, a popular neighborhood restaurant that has endured weeks of threats since the fake news story, referred to as 'Pizzagate', began appearing on websites

'The intel on this wasn't 100 per cent,' Welch told the Times, while refusing to deny outright the claims in the fake news articles.

He only said no children 'were inside that dwelling' and added that child slavery was a world-wide phenomenon, according to the Times.

The origins of the conspiracy theory are still unclear.

Some elements trace back to hacked emails from Clinton chief of staff John Podesta that were released by Wikileaks and refer to pizza parties, with online commentators speculating that 'pizza party' is code for something nefarious.

By November 3, Comet Ping Pong had been pulled into the conspiracy, which the restaurant's owner has flatly denied.

'Let me state unequivocally: These stories are completely and entirely false, and there is no basis in fact to any of them,' owner James Alefantis said in a statement on Sunday.

Welch is the father of two young girls. He was arrested on several charges, including assault with a dangerous weapon

Welch, who said he does not like the term fake news, told the Times he had learned about the conspiracy theory centering on Comet Ping Pong through word of mouth

'What happened today demonstrates that promoting false and reckless conspiracy theories comes with consequences.'

Welch, who said he does not like the term fake news, told the Times he had learned about the conspiracy theory centering on Comet Ping Pong through word of mouth.

And after he recently had internet service installed at his house, he was 'really able to look into it,' he said.

He was left with the 'impression something nefarious was happening' from substantial evidence from various sources, he said.

He told the Times he does not believe in conspiracy theories, according to the Times.

Welch said the September 11 terrorist attacks need to be re-examined and that he has listed to Infowars founder Alex Jones' radio show that outlines some of the controversial radio hosts' outlandish conspiracy theories.

'He's a bit eccentric,' Mr. Welch told the Times of Jones. 'He touches on some issues that are viable but goes off the deep end on some things.'

Welch, who was once a registered Republican, also added that he was not political and did not vote for either President-elect Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton.

One of Welch's friends told The Washington Post she doesn't think he intended to shoot anyone.

'He most likely really believes the conspiracy theory,' said Kathy Sue Holtorf, who lives in California and works as a film producer.

'He's a good guy with the best of intentions. He probably saw himself as more on a hero mission to save children than anything else.'

Welch told the Times he misses his daughters, adding 'they are in my thoughts every second of the day' and that he wishes he could have done things differently.

'I regret how I handled the situation,' he said.

Following Sunday's incident, he was arrested on several charges, including assault with a dangerous weapon.