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DA Zappala raises new concern about drug sting that turned deadly

PITTSBURGH — Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala has raised new concerns after a drug sting turned into a deadly shooting along a popular road in Pittsburgh.

Last month, investigators from the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office were conducting the sting in the parking lot of Big Lots along McKnight Road during broad daylight when the violence broke out.

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"Explain to me why it went down the way it did. Explain to my why you are there. I haven't received that explanation yet," Zappala said Thursday.

The day of the shooting, Attorney General Josh Shapiro defended the operation.

"We don't get to dictate the terms of every location where we meet. In this case understand that this individual decided to discharge his weapon into an agent," Shapiro said July 23.

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That suspect was shot and killed. An undercover officer was also shot, although his injuries were not life-threatening.

"My question is, if you are going to take the guy off, take him off up in The Hill (District) where he lives and send SWAT in, and if something bad happens, it's controlled. Here, you've got, you know, a bunch of people that are shopping, kids, a highway. There were a number of shots fired," Zappala said.

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