5 wounded in shooting at North Versailles bar

Allegheny County police arrested a McKeesport man Sunday on charges of shooting five people, including a former Steelers player, in a North Versailles restaurant.

No one was killed in the shooting at 1:30 a.m. in the bar of Nigro's Restaurant in the 3500 block of Fifth Avenue, police said.

North Versailles police Chief James Comunale said Tyrone Watson, 28, will be charged with five counts of aggravated assault and various weapons violations. He said Watson used a handgun, but the chief did not know what type.

Watson fired five to seven times after a brief argument with other customers, witnesses told police. The nature of the argument wasn't clear, Comunale said.

Comunale said two victims suffered serious wounds but they are expected to survive.

Brittany Snyder of Clairton suffered two gunshot wounds, one in her lower abdomen and another in a thigh. She was taken to UPMC Mercy, Uptown, where she was in stable condition yesterday.

Robert Mills of McKeesport was shot in his left arm. He was taken to UPMC McKeesport and listed in stable condition.

Police could not provide their ages.

Former Steelers defensive back Russell Stuvaints Jr., 27, of White Oak, suffered a gunshot in his right hip, Comunale said.

Stuvaints played for the Steelers from 2003 to 2005. The Steelers won the Super Bowl in 2005. Stuvaints played in 23 games during his career with the Steelers and had 34 tackles.

Stuvaints and another wounded man, Emanuel Johnson of Braddock, drove themselves from the bar to UPMC McKeesport. Johnson suffered wounds in his left elbow and thigh, Comunale said.

A fifth victim, Matthew Strawn of Wall, had a minor ankle wound from a ricochet. Strawn was working as a disc jockey at the bar. He declined medical treatment.

Comunale said it's unclear how Watson and the victims are connected or whether they were at the restaurant together. He said county homicide detectives were interviewing witnesses to get a clearer pictures of what led to the shooting.

The restaurant isn't known as a violent place, Comunale said.

"There's not a lot of problems there. No more than any other bar," Comunale said.

He said the bar has had "its fair share of bar fights," but incidents in which the police have been called have decreased considerably over the past year.

The restaurant opened for business yesterday morning, said Kara Copeland, the restaurant's manager.

"We extend our deepest sympathies to those who were injured," she said.