The husband-and-wife team behind a California luxury clothing brand were found shot dead outside their hillside home, and family members say the days before the killings were marked by financial losses and mounting concern about the husband's mental state.
Oakland police confirmed that Bryan Walker and Michelle Min were the two people found dead on Oct. 2 in the 400 block of Panoramic Way. The couple founded Bryn Walker, a women's luxury apparel company that has been based in Berkeley since 1992 and designs and produces its clothing in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Police have not confirmed a motive or determined who fired the weapon. The department recovered a gun and has not ruled out murder-suicide, according to the Los Angeles Times. «This remains an active and ongoing investigation. No additional details are being provided at this time,» Oakland police said.
Min's brother, Paul Min, told the Los Angeles Times he believes Walker fatally shot his sister before turning the gun on himself. He described a troubling decline in his brother-in-law after Walker allegedly lost millions of dollars in risky financial ventures. Paul Min called Walker «the most honest, responsible, hardworking guy you have ever known» and said he struggled to reconcile the suspected violence with the man he had known and loved for nearly four decades.
According to the family account, Paul Min and his sister agreed that Walker needed psychiatric help after Walker allegedly suggested that the three of them «end things.» Michelle Min was planning to have her husband admitted for psychiatric treatment on the day of the shooting, her brother told the outlet. Police have not confirmed the family's claims about Walker's mental health, financial losses or a possible motive.
Berkeley officers responded to Panoramic Way shortly after 10:30 a.m. Friday and found a man and a woman suffering from gunshot wounds, according to KTLA. Officers attempted lifesaving measures until paramedics arrived, but the couple was pronounced dead at the scene. Oakland police are the lead investigating agency in the case.
The couple met in Kansas in the 1980s before following Min's parents to California and eventually building their clothing business in Berkeley. Bryn Walker operates six company-owned stores and supplies roughly 1,000 boutiques nationwide, according to the company's website. Its store directory lists two Berkeley locations and a shop in Vineyard Haven, Massachusetts, on Martha's Vineyard.
Authorities have asked anyone with information, video or photos related to the case to contact Oakland police's Homicide Section at 510-238-3821, its tip line at 510-238-7950 or email cidvideos@oaklandca.gov.