LOS ANGELES, CA – Bryan Walker and Michelle Min, the married co-founders of Berkeley-based fashion brand Bryn Walker, were found fatally shot outside their Oakland Hills home Friday morning, October 2, as Oakland police continue investigating the circumstances surrounding the deaths.
Walker, 61, and Min, 63, were found outside the residence on the 400 block of Panoramic Way, near the Berkeley-Oakland border and east of the University of California, Berkeley campus. Police said a neighbor reported hearing gunshots at about 10:45 a.m., prompting officers from Oakland and Berkeley to respond to the area.
Officers found both victims suffering from gunshot wounds. Life-saving efforts were attempted, but both were pronounced dead at the scene, according to authorities.
A firearm was recovered at the location, and the Oakland Police Department is leading the investigation.
Police have not announced an arrest or identified a suspect. Investigators also have not publicly established a motive for the shooting.
Police have not determined how the deaths occurred
Oakland police have said they have not ruled out any possibility as detectives work to establish what happened inside and outside the home.
Assistant Chief Casey Johnson said investigators had not ruled out a possible murder-suicide, but emphasized that the circumstances remained undetermined. Police were not searching for a suspect at large and said there was no ongoing threat to residents in the neighborhood.
The presence of a firearm at the scene is part of the investigation, but authorities have not publicly stated who fired the weapon or how the shooting unfolded.
Because the investigation remains active, details about the sequence of events have not been established by police.
The nearby UC Berkeley campus was also not considered to be under threat. University police said there were no known or ongoing threats to the campus following the shooting.
Couple built Bryn Walker fashion brand in Berkeley
Walker and Min were known in the Bay Area fashion industry as the people behind Bryn Walker, a clothing company that has operated in Berkeley since 1992.
According to the company’s official history, Bryn Walker is based in Berkeley and continues to design and produce clothing in the San Francisco Bay Area. The company describes its clothing as focused on comfort, quality and understated sophistication.
The brand’s business expanded considerably from its early Berkeley roots. Bryn Walker says it operates six company-owned stores and wholesales to approximately 1,000 boutiques across the country.
The company’s current store listings include two Berkeley locations, while its wholesale operation distributes the brand through retailers in the United States and internationally
The couple’s connection to Berkeley therefore extended beyond their residence. Their business had become part of the city’s established independent fashion community, with the company continuing to operate decades after its founding.
Shooting occurred in Oakland Hills neighborhood
The shooting happened in Panoramic Hill, a residential area along the Oakland-Berkeley border near the UC Berkeley campus.
Panoramic Way is a hillside road that connects the residential neighborhoods above Berkeley and Oakland. The area includes steep terrain, wooded sections and homes spread along winding streets.
The location also sits close enough to the university campus that Berkeley police issued an alert following the shooting. Officials subsequently said there was no known threat to students or the broader campus community.
Authorities have not indicated that the shooting was connected to the university or that anyone on campus was involved.
Investigation remains ongoing
The Oakland Police Department’s homicide investigators are continuing to examine the deaths and determine what led to the shooting.
Police have not publicly released a motive, and the possibility of a murder-suicide remains only one line of investigation rather than an official conclusion. No determination has been announced regarding which person fired the weapon.
Authorities are asking anyone who may have information, photographs or video related to the incident to contact Oakland police at 510-238-3821 or the department’s tip line at 510-238-7950. Investigators can also receive video and photographs through [email protected], according to information released about the case.
The deaths of Walker and Min have left the local fashion community and residents of the Oakland Hills confronting an investigation that, several days after the shooting, has yet to establish publicly how the couple died or what led to the violence.
The investigation remains active, and authorities have not announced any arrests or criminal charges in connection with the deaths.
