California Fashion Designers Found Shot Dead Near Home

Police are investigating the deaths of Bryan Walker and Michelle Min, the husband-and-wife founders of the luxury women’s apparel company Bryn Walker, after both were found shot outside their hillside home in California. Oakland police confirmed to Fox News Digital that the two people found dead on Oct. 2 in the 400 block of Panoramic Way were Walker and Min.

Authorities have released few official details about what happened. In a statement to Fox News Digital, Oakland police said the case remains open and that no further information is being provided at this stage. The department has not confirmed a motive, the sequence of events, or who fired the weapon recovered at the scene.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Min’s brother, Paul Min, believes Walker shot his sister before killing himself. Police have not verified that account. Investigators also have not confirmed family claims about Walker’s recent mental health, alleged financial losses, or whether those issues played any role in the deaths.

Paul Min described a deeply troubling period in the days leading up to the shooting, the newspaper reported. He said Walker had allegedly lost millions of dollars in risky financial ventures and had shown signs of serious distress. Despite that, Min also described his brother-in-law as “the most honest, responsible, hardworking guy you have ever known,” underscoring the family’s struggle to make sense of the violence.

Min told the Los Angeles Times that he and his sister had agreed Walker needed psychiatric help after Walker allegedly suggested that the three of them should “end things.” He said Michelle Min was planning to have her husband admitted for psychiatric treatment on the day of the shooting. Those assertions remain unconfirmed by law enforcement.

What police have said so far

KTLA reported that Berkeley officers responded to Panoramic Way shortly after 10:30 a.m. Friday and found a man and woman suffering from gunshot wounds. Officers attempted lifesaving measures until paramedics arrived, but both victims were pronounced dead at the scene.

The Los Angeles Times reported that Oakland police, which is leading the investigation, recovered a gun and had not ruled out murder-suicide. Investigators had also not determined who fired the weapon. Fox News Digital separately reached out to Berkeley police for comment.

Anyone with information, video, or photos related to the case is being asked to contact Oakland police’s Homicide Section at 510-238-3821, the tip line at 510-238-7950, or by email at cidvideos@oaklandca.gov.

A well-known Bay Area fashion business

Walker and Min were widely known in the fashion industry through Bryn Walker, a Berkeley-based luxury clothing brand focused on women’s apparel. According to the company’s website, the business has been based in Berkeley since 1992 and designs and produces its clothing in the San Francisco Bay Area.

The company says it operates six company-owned stores and supplies around 1,000 boutiques across the United States. Its store directory lists two Berkeley locations as well as a shop in Vineyard Haven, Massachusetts, on Martha’s Vineyard.

The couple’s personal and professional history in California stretched back decades. The Los Angeles Times reported that they met in Kansas in the 1980s, later followed Min’s parents to California, and eventually built their clothing business in Berkeley. Their deaths have now left both relatives and the wider fashion community awaiting answers as investigators continue to piece together what happened outside their home.