New York City – An unsettling scene unfolded during the opening of WikiConference North America 2025 when an Ohio man reportedly stormed the stage armed with a gun, leading to chaos at Manhattan’s Civic Hall on Friday morning. The suspect, identified as 27-year-old Connor Weston from Dayton, has been arrested and faces charges of criminal possession of a weapon and reckless endangerment.
The incident occurred around 9 a.m. when Weston, brandishing a firearm, leaped onto the stage and threatened to kill himself, all while wearing a sign that read “non-offending pedophile.” Witnesses and organizers described a moment of sheer panic, but swift actions taken by event coordinators Richard Knipel and Andrew Lih prevented any tragedy. Within moments, the two intervened, tackling Weston and disarming him before law enforcement arrived.
“I grabbed his arm… He was still clutching his gun pretty hard,” Lih recounted in an interview with The New York Times. “I pried his fingers away from it and put it down.” Fortunately, no injuries were reported in the aftermath of the incident…