Bryn Walker Founders Dead in Oakland Hills Shooting

A single firearm recovered from an affluent hillside neighborhood straddling Berkeley and Oakland is now central to a police investigation into the deaths of two prominent Bay Area fashion entrepreneurs. Bryan Walker, 61, and his wife Michelle Min, 63, co-founders of the luxury womenswear label Bryn Walker, were found dead outside their home Friday morning after neighbors reported gunfire near the University of California, Berkeley campus.

Oakland police, who are leading the investigation alongside Berkeley authorities, have not formally classified the incident as a murder-suicide or identified who fired the weapon. Surveillance footage reviewed by CBS News captured an initial gunshot at 10:43 a.m., followed immediately by the sound of a man screaming and crying. A second gunshot was recorded shortly after, followed by silence. The network did not broadcast the video.

Paul Min, Michelle’s brother, told investigators he believes Walker killed his sister before taking his own life. According to Min, who lives in Carmel, Walker had recently lost millions of dollars through high-risk financial transactions, plunging him into severe depression. Min said Walker proposed that the three of them — himself, Michelle, and Paul — “end things.” The siblings interpreted the statement as a cry for help rather than a direct threat, viewing violence from Walker as inconceivable given his decades-long devotion to the family. They agreed he required psychiatric intervention and planned to transport him to a facility on the day of the shooting. Min discovered a note listing mental health facilities and speculates Walker may have seen it, though he has no confirmation.

The couple met in Kansas City during the 1980s. Walker, originally from Iowa, studied philosophy at Iowa State University, while Min held a fine arts degree from Washington University in St. Louis. After following Min’s parents to California, they settled in Berkeley and opened a small retail shop selling mixed-vendor clothing. Michelle eventually began designing her own pieces, which gradually replaced the entire inventory. The business expanded from storefronts on Fourth Street and Telegraph Avenue into wholesale manufacturing. Today, Bryn Walker operates six company-owned boutiques and distributes to approximately 1,000 independent retailers nationwide, specializing in relaxed, architectural silhouettes favored by a dedicated customer base across the U.S.

Min described his sister as someone who had grown weary of the fashion industry’s demands and expressed a desire to leave the Bay Area for a simpler life. He characterized her as a maternal figure who raised him after their parents immigrated from South Korea in 1977, working multiple jobs to support the family. Both parents died within the past decade — their father from Alzheimer’s disease and their mother from liver failure — with the couple managing much of their end-of-life care. Min credited them with supporting him through a recent Stage 4 colorectal cancer diagnosis.

The aftermath of the shooting exposed immediate vulnerabilities at the property. Min stated that responding officers left the residence unsecured upon departing the scene. Photographs of the exterior and the home’s exact address circulated rapidly on local news platforms. Min, who relocated to the house to secure it, reported suspected theft of items from the interior and multiple attempted break-ins since his arrival. Law enforcement agencies routinely face scrutiny over crime scene management when properties are left accessible in residential zones, particularly in areas where real estate values attract opportunistic trespassing.

The couple’s miniature Australian Shepherd, Pip, survived the incident and is currently in the care of a friend.

In the United States, individuals experiencing acute psychological distress or suicidal ideation can reach trained crisis counselors by dialing or texting 988, the national Suicide & Crisis Lifeline operational since 2022. Text-based support is available by sending “HOME” to 741741 via the Crisis Text Line.