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BY JUSTIN WALDEN, BRAD HEATH AND CONNIE NOGAS
Press & Sun-Bulletin

TOWN OF CHENANGO -- Police spent Friday looking for a man they think can help them learn more about the person or people who killed Deputy Kevin J. Tarsia.

But that man and a Chicago Bulls duffle bag are among the only clues in a case that has frustrated the Broome County Sheriff's Department for lack of evidence.

"There are a lot of ifs about this case," Broome County Sheriff David E. Harder said. "Until we catch the people involved, we won't have those answers."

Tarsia, 36, was found shot around 5 a.m. in a park about one-half block from his home in Kirkwood. Police said he may have surprised the person or people who stole an unidentified number of weapons from Mess's Fireworks in Great Bend, Pa., earlier that morning.

A stolen truck was used to smash open the front door of the store one hour before Tarsia was shot, police said.

Harder released a sketch Friday of a man who was seen at the fireworks store several days before the burglary.

Most of the store's regular customers have been interviewed by police, but the man in the sketch has not been located, Harder said.

"He's not a suspect," Harder said. "We don't know who he is, but he's been in there before."

The person, a black man in his late 20s, stands about 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighs at least 160 pounds, Harder said.

Also found at the scene of the killing was a Chicago Bulls duffle bag, which contained several guns from the burglary. Harder said customers of the store in Great Bend had seen a similar bag in the store Sheriff David E. Harder said he believes Deputy Kevin J. Tarsia was driving to his home on Grange Hall Road when he turned into the park and surprised gun thieves who were transferring stolen weapons from a stolen truck to another vehicle.

before the burglary, though not in the possession of the man police are seeking.

Harder said he hopes anyone who knows something about the bag comes forward.

About 100 officers from 15 police agencies -- including the Binghamton police, the New York State Police, the Pennsylvania State Police, the FBI and the ATF -- are involved in the investigation.

But despite the intense investigation, police still don't know how many people were involved in the shooting, who they are or even what happened right before Tarsia was killed, because much of the evidence they need to answer those questions simply isn't there.

Harder said there's "no doubt" that a lack of physical evidence is hampering the investigation.

"We don't have too much to go on," Harder said. "I can't tell you the whole story of what happened because one of the people who was there is dead and we don't know who the other people are."

The deputy's .40-caliber Glock handgun was taken out of its holster, but Harder would not say whether the gun was recovered, or what type of gun was used to kill Tarsia.

Broome County Coroner Dr. Timothy Jones, who was at the scene but did not perform the autopsy on Tarsia, said it appeared that Tarsia was shot in the head.

The autopsy was performed Thursday at Albany Medical Center. Harder would not discuss the results.

More public officials came forward Friday to talk about the fact that Tarsia was alone when he was shot to death Thursday morning.

Broome County Legislator David L. Lindsey, who chairs the Public Safety and Emergency Services Committee, said the county should implement a policy requiring two officers in every patrol car.

"I would like to (see) a two-man car policy," Lindsey said. "But it's not my call. It's (Harder's.)"

Harder sets the policy but legislators can offer their input and allocate extra funds, if necessary, Lindsey said.

Lindsey is a retired sergeant from the Binghamton Police Bureau whose daughter, Cheri, was murdered in 1984.

"We control the purse strings," he said. "We can give him (the sheriff) an advisory resolution."

Lee Barta, a Binghamton patrolman, was the last Southern Tier police officer to die in the line of duty. Barta was shot and killed as he tried to make an arrest in 1995.

Tarsia's death weighed heavily on the minds of local law-enforcement officials, many of whom were thinking of Barta on Friday.

"This affects us all locally," said Joseph Zikuski, Binghamton's assistant police chief and Barta's first supervisor. "Right now I don't think reality has set in."

Most of the sheriff's department's cases have been put on hold and the state police have helped with road patrols, Harder said. A sheriff's office detective will be working with Pennsylvania State Police on the burglary of the fireworks shop.

"We're family," said Harder, as tears filled his eyes and as his lips quivered at a news conference Friday. "There are dangers 24 hours a day in being a police officer, but you don't think about it."

Tarsia was a 13-year veteran of the sheriff's office and was engaged. He lived with his fiancee on Grange Hall Road.

Family and friends are invited to calling hours from 2 to 4 p.m. and from 6 to 9 p.m. Monday at the James V. DeMarco and Son Funeral Home at 737 Chenango St. in Port Dickinson.

Funeral and burial services will be held Tuesday