Pace University student was shot to death Wednesday morning in the posh Financial District apartment he used to deal drugs

Pace University student was shot to death Wednesday morning in the posh Financial District apartment he used to deal drugs, witnesses and police sources said.

Investigators said Maximillion Moreno, 21, sold marijuana to a man and a woman at his tony 37th-floor apartment on Gold St. just after midnight, Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said.

The pot-seeking couple opened the door to leave and two men - one with a weapon - burst inside. A witness told police the suspects screamed, "Give me the stuff! Give me the stuff!"

When Moreno refused to give up any money, the gunman pulled the trigger.

"He fires once and the safety is on, so it just clicks," according to a police source. "He fired again and the gun went off."

With a deafening roar, a single bullet hit Moreno in the left temple, sending the student crashing to the floor.

The suspects ran from the apartment and escaped despite a brief confrontation in the hallway with an off-duty member of the Erie County Sheriff's Department who was visiting someone in the building, Kelly said.

Investigators were exploring whether the couple that bought drugs moments before the murder was involved in the robbery, police sources said. Police haven't found the couple.

"The detectives are investigating whether this was set up," a police source said. It was not immediately clear if the suspects made off with any drugs or money, police said.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2010/09/29/2010-09-29_pace_university_student_shot_to_death_in_drug_deal_gone_bad_police_say.html#ixzz10xAqOjMA