Questions remain after a shootout in broad daylight at Edgewood Towne Center on Thursday.
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Allegheny County police have taken over the investigation, but we’ve learned from Edgewood’s police chief that the shooting happened on the very first day the department launched its bike patrol.
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An increase in patrols: that’s what shoppers will continue to see when they visit Edgewood Town Center.
“I do want to let people know Edgewood Town Center is safe. We are up there,” said Chief Sylvan Altieri. “When you have – this is my opinion – two people that have access to handguns and poor coping skills, those are very difficult situations to predict.”
Altieri was bike patrolling the area right before the shooting. He said Edgewood Town Center has become the main focus of his department.
“It’s not because the town center is a bad place. It’s a retail place. Any city you go to – when you see retail theft, it’s going to be somewhere where there is a large congregation,” Altieri said.
We’ve seen a shootout here before. In April 2023, bullets hit a school bus and several other cars in the town center lot.
Last summer, a man chased a woman with a knife as she was waiting to go to an appointment.
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Altieri acknowledged the previous violence and said it’s unfortunate that this most recent shooting happened the same day his department launched its bike patrol program. It’s just one of the measures he’s implemented since taking over as chief in January, along with mandatory business checks.
“Each shift, they’re making it a point to get out of the vehicle, go in, and talk to the business owners. It’s important that we do that. We need to be visible, and that’s what we’re doing,” Altieri said.
We’re still working to learn the names of those involved in the shootout. Allegheny County police detectives said they are both accounted for but have not released names. Police say they are working with the DA’s office to determine if/what charges will be filed.
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