AP has two important rules regarding the ellipsis (…). First, it generally has a blank space on either end. Second, it does not take the place of any other required punctuation; it’s in addition to it. “George went north, … but Sarah went south.” Textbook: 17:1.D

If a direct quotation needs context to be understood, that context should be explained before (in the setup) or in the quote itself (through surgery). Do not add the explanation after the quote, like this: “It was nice,” he said in talking about the day he went to the park and saw a giraffe. Textbook: