PAIR POSED AS DRUG AGENTS

Shooting Of Norwich Student Called An Armed Robbery

NORWICH - Two suspects in the killing of a Town of Norwich man early Monday
morning posed as federal Drug Enforcement Agency officers to get inside the
home of Edward Pastore Jr.

According to police, the man and woman, both described as Hispanics,
forcibly entered the ranch home at 118 Lewis Road just east of the City of
Norwich before the man shot Pastore, 22, with a shotgun. Police are calling
it an armed robbery. "They asked for the location of money and drugs," said
New York State Police Troop C Commander Major William J. Foley.

State police would not say whether the suspects, who were both dressed in
black, got what they were looking for before or after Pastore was shot. "We
have found a lot out through the forensic team, but we're not at a point
where I can release any of those details," said State Police Captain Thomas
Kelly. Police continue to seek the suspects, who left in a white,
full-size, older model car.

Police had two eye witnesses to the shooting. Pastore's two housemates were
told to lie on the floor during the break-in and were unharmed. Kelly did
say there were now reasons to believe there may have been drugs in the
house, but did not elaborate. An autopsy of Pastore revealed traces of
marijuana in his blood stream, said Dr. James Terzian, a forensic
pathologist at Lourdes Hospital in Binghamton.

Meanwhile, state police marshaled all their forces and sought help from the
Norwich City Police Department and the Chenango County Sheriff's Department
in an attempt to uncover leads that might help their investigation into the
killing and their search for the shooters.

Two cars of uniformed troopers spent most of Monday night at a Route 23 and
Dempsey Road roadblock, asking motorists whether they had been in the area
early Monday morning. And police continued Tuesday to comb the interior of
Pastore's home.

Pastore was born Aug. 31, 1977 in Queens, but lived in the Norwich area for
a dozen years and attended Norwich High School. He obtained his GED and had
just completed his first year at State University of New York at
Morrisville, where he was an honor student.

He was the son of Laura Soro of Norwich and Edward John Pastore Sr. of
Woodside. In addition to his parents, he is survived by a brother, Joseph
of Norwich; his maternal grandparents, Mabel and Joseph Soro of Florida,
aunts, uncles and cousins.

A memorial Mass will be held at 10 a.m. Friday from St. Paul's Catholic
Church in Norwich with the Rev. Douglas Cunningham, pastor, officiating.
Friends may call at the R.J. Fahy Funeral Home from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday.