Student killed in Richmond

No arrests have been made in the murder of 19-year-old Kyle Bratton, a Contra Costa College student, musician and youth leader, police officials say.


Richmond Police Department (RPD) Lt. Mark Gagan said that on Dec. 14, Bratton was with his girlfriend on the intersection of South 17th Street and Virginia Avenue in the Coronado District of Richmond when an unknown assailant approached and shot Bratton in the back at approximately 10:36 a.m.


'As the suspects passed Kyle, they stared at him, looking him up and down,' Gagan said. 'One of them turned around and opened fire at a very close range. There was very little or no verbal action before the attack.'

Of various witnesses, a nurse immediately stopped and administered cardiopulmonary resuscitation on Bratton before paramedics arrived, Gagan said.


Bratton was lifted by helicopter to John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek and pronounced dead at 2 p.m., RPD Detective Avon Dobie said.


The suspects were described by witnesses as two African-American males in their late teens to early 20s, both wearing blue jeans. One person was wearing a red shirt and a black jacket, and the other was wearing a dark brown coat, a hooded sweater and a beanie over his head.


They were last seen fleeing the scene on foot, running south on South 17th St toward Florida Avenue, Gagan said, and though the proximity of the crime was searched, detectives were unable to locate any suspects.


Dobie said that police detectives are investigating leads, but cannot disclose details about the case.


Corey Bratton, Kyle Bratton's twin brother, said that prior to the incident, Kyle and his girlfriend stopped by Corey's girlfriend's house in hopes of finding him.


After finding that his brother was not there, Kyle and his girlfriend stopped to chat with Corey's girlfriend's family about a bike that Kyle gave to his brother's girlfriend's son.


They left shortly thereafter on foot and no more than a few minutes later, Kyle was shot less than a block away, Corey said.


'He wasn't the type to be in trouble and if he was in some trouble, he would have let me know,' Corey said. 'He was always the type to keep the peace.'

Bratton was pursuing a degree in music, and hoped to become a producer one day, Corey said.


As Bratton was a volunteer and regular at Richmond's RYSE Center, a youth and adult leadership partnership that aims to stop the violence in the community, Gagan agreed.


'This murder sent shockwaves through the community,' Gagan said.


Hundreds of people attended the funeral at Antioch Baptist Church in Richmond, he said, fully dressed in purple, Bratton's favorite color.


He was the 47th homicide victim of 2009, Gagan said.


Gagan said that the department is offering a $10,000 reward for anyone who is willing to come forward with information leading to an arrest for this unsolved case.


Those with information can contact Dobie at 510-831-3053 or call the anonymous tip line at 510-232-8477.


Contact Holly Pablo at hpablo.advocate@gmail.com