2 teen 'princes' are laid to rest: Pals were shot to death

Best friends Harvey Lewis, 15, and Dominique Smith, 17, aspired to be Philadelphia police officers.

Yesterday, they were honored with a funeral worthy of the dreams they never got the chance to fulfill.

Police cruisers and television news trucks lined the streets; a bagpiper serenaded; men and women in uniform stood at attention; and the Yesha Ministries Church, in South Philadelphia, where services were held, was packed to overflow capacity.

For the cadets in the Philadelphia Police Explorer Cadet Program, of which Lewis was a member, serving at the funeral of a fallen comrade only strengthened their resolve to put their own lives on the line - not only to protect and serve others, but now also to honor their fallen brothers.

"Since Harvey can't fulfill his own dream, I will become his dream for him," said Bernard Crawford, 17, a fellow cadet and long-time friend.

When Lewis and Smith were killed, execution-style, while walking down 29th Street near Morris, in Grays Ferry, on April 19, police and their families were stumped for a motive. Both teens were good kids with no criminal records, and Smith hoped to soon join Lewis in the cadet program.

On Sunday, police arrested and charged two teens - Derek Barnes, 19, and Anthony Satchell, 16 - with the slayings. Cops allege that the duo mistook Lewis and Smith for two of their rivals, but say that even after they realized the mistake, they shot anyway.

"My heart smiled . . . when I found out that the two heartless and cold young men were arrested," state Rep. Kennyatta Johnson said at yesterday's service.

Much of the service was dedicated to asking the many teenagers in attendance to become living tributes to their fallen friends.

"Don't buy a T-shirt in honor of these two young men," Johnson said. "Don't get a teddy bear or a balloon.

"What I challenge you to do is follow in their footsteps," he said. "Make sure we breathe life into our neighborhoods - not death."

Everett Gillison, deputy mayor for public safety, echoed the sentiment and asked those present to dedicate themselves anew to stopping the "nonsense in this city."

"These two princes, they came here to do work," Gillison said. "What they tried to do and could not complete . . . it's now up to you to carry on their legacy, to protect and serve."

Church Bishop J. Darrell Robinson called the boys "sacrificial lambs" who stayed by each other's sides in life and in death.

"They were friends, so even in a situation where one may have run off, they stayed together that night," he said. "In the framework of humanity, God called us to be our brother's keeper. Good cadets understand that."

Lewis was the first cadet to be slain while enrolled in the program, said warrant unit Sgt. Edward Timcho Jr., a program administrator.

The cadets followed a combination military and police burial protocol yesterday and learned the procedures in one long day on Saturday, he said.

Cadet Maranda Piccirilli, 18, said that while it's not always easy or popular to be an aspiring police officer, people like Smith and Lewis are a reminder that it is always worth it.

"Not all teenagers will like cops, but we are willing to take it for the common goal of making this a better city," she said.

"That common goal has only become stronger with their deaths." *