I'll just say this, being that it was referenced in this thread a while back.
The whole "drug deal gone bad" metaphor ( and, yes, it is that) gets overused and presented as an all-too common thing, when, in most cases, that's not what happened with street violence.
A "drug deal goes bad" when you have two parties making their livings off of drugs. One wants to get his/ her product at no cost or deceitful means, while the other wants their money, sometimes through deceitful means.
Bottom line: Sasso isn't making a living off of drugs, so it was not a "drug deal gone bad." That's just stupid and lazy on Ward and others' parts.