Updated

Updated · Berkeleyside · Oct 5

Police Probe Deaths of Bryn Walker Founders, 63 and 61, as Family Cites Mental Health Crisis

Updated

Updated · Berkeleyside · Oct 5

Police Probe Deaths of Bryn Walker Founders, 63 and 61, as Family Cites Mental Health Crisis

Q: What chilling secret does the neighbor's unreleased audio reveal about the final moments of the wealthy Bryn Walker founders?

The unreleased neighbor surveillance audio reportedly captures two gunshots with a man’s cries in between: one shot, then a man screaming and crying, followed by a second shot and silence. That description, reported by CBS/KPIX and echoed by other outlets, is the clearest public account so far of the couple’s final moments. It suggests the shooting did not happen simultaneously and may have unfolded in two stages, which is one reason investigators have not ruled out a murder-suicide. But the audio does not by itself identify the shooter. Oakland police have said only that a firearm was recovered at the scene and that detectives have not yet determined who fired it. No arrests have been made, and the case remains active. Relatives, especially Michelle Min’s brother Paul Min, have publicly said they believe Bryan Walker shot Michelle Min and then himself. He also told reporters Walker had been under severe financial and mental strain and that the family had planned to seek psychiatric treatment for him that day. Police have not confirmed those claims. So the “chilling secret” in the unreleased audio is not a hidden motive, but the sequence it appears to reveal: a first gunshot, a distraught man audibly crying out, then a second and final shot before everything goes quiet.

3 articles · Updated · Berkeleyside · Oct 5

Michelle Min, 63, and Bryan Walker, 61, were found shot dead Friday outside their Panoramic Way home after reports of multiple gunshots, with police saying a murder-suicide has not been ruled out.
A firearm was recovered at the scene, and media reports said Walker texted a neighbor to call 911 around 10:45 a.m., shortly before police were alerted.
Paul Min, Michelle Min’s brother, said Walker had lost millions of dollars in risky financial moves, had become depressed and suicidal, and may have discovered plans to place him in a treatment facility that day.
The couple founded women’s clothing brand Bryn Walker in 1992, expanding from Berkeley to Martha’s Vineyard and wholesaling to about 1,000 stores nationwide.
Neighbors and shoppers left flowers and messages at memorials near the home and the North Berkeley store, while one neighbor also reported an unverified burglary after the address was published.