Cops: Brothers likely died in drug deal

THE LEAFY reaches of Overbrook Park can seem more suburb than city, with clean, winding streets and stately homes.

But even that tranquil locale wasn't immune from the troubles that plague the city's most dangerous neighborhoods.

In fact, police say, the well-kept brick rowhouse with the tidy lawn where two teenage brothers were shot dead late Tuesday was a "drug nexus."

In other words, a terrible place for children.

Christopher Malcolm, 17, and his brother, Rohan "Sonny" Bennett, 13, were in the living room of their family's home on Westbury Drive near Malvern Avenue with a close friend when someone in the house let a man inside to conduct a drug transaction about 7:30 p.m., Homicide Capt. James Clark said Wednesday.

The teens were talking with that man — who remained unidentified — when something triggered the thug to shoot Christopher in the living room, Clark said. He then shot Sonny as he tried to run away. Sonny was pronounced dead at the scene and Christopher died later at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

The boys' father was upstairs at the time but their mother was out of the house.

Police searching the residence found 1,700 illegal prescription pills, including oxycodone, Percocet, Xanax, morphine, a small amount of hydroponic marijuana, six bottles of codeine, $102,000 in cash and four handguns, most of which was recovered from the parents' bedroom, said Narcotics South Capt. James Kelly.

"They had a pretty good business going on there from what we can tell from the investigation," Kelly said.

Police sources said the kids were hardly angels. Both had arrest records — including a gun charge for 13-year-old Sonny — and were known to police who patrol the area, a source said.

How the illegal prescription drugs were obtained remains under investigation, but prescription pads were found in the house, Kelly said. Given the amount of drugs and cash recovered, Kelly said it appears the residents were likely selling to other drug dealers.

"It was a fairly large-scale operation," he said. Despite that, neighbors on the quiet block said they were unaware that the house was known to police for narcotics activity.

Police said they're still investigating whether the parents or their children were the main players in the drug trade at the house. Clark said the parents are expected to be charged for the drugs that were found, but their names have not yet been released.

"There definitely was a drug nexus that ultimately contributed to these young men being killed," Clark said. "It was some type of drug transaction that was going to take place … It went horribly, horribly wrong and as a result of that you have two teenagers that are now dead."

The shooter, who was described as a light-complexioned black man with a blue shirt, was seen fleeing the house with a large bag, the contents of which are not known. Police said they have a person of interest in the case but have not released his name.

Clark said since someone in the house was comfortable enough to let the shooter inside, it's believed his identity is known to one or more of the residents.

"That's the sad thing," he said. "At the end of the day you have a 13-year-old and a 17-year-old that because of whatever drug nexus was going on in the house now they're dead and that's the tragedy of this whole thing."

Toni Schriver, Christopher's girlfriend — and the mother of his 7-month-old daughter — lived in the house for a year and said she was unsure of who the drugs belonged to. She told the Daily News that Christopher aspired to study at Temple University to become a pharmacist.

Standing outside the family's house Wednesday night, Schriver said she and Christopher were in the process of moving into an apartment together. Sonny was going to bring an Xbox over for when he visited because the 13-year-old so enjoyed playing video games.

"When I look at her it just saddens me because she looks just like both of them," she said of her daughter. A small memorial of teddy bears stood nearby in front of a shrub laced with crumpled crime-scene tape.

"I'm gonna have to live with this for the rest of my life."

Neighbors said the family lived on Westbury Drive for years, and they remember seeing the teens when they were little, playing with other children on the block.

A neighbor up the street who did not want to be identified said she and others were shocked Wednesday to learn that a major drug operation was apparently being run out of the house.

"What goes on in your home stays in your home," she said.