On Friday, Oakland Police did not disclose what they believe happened. Oakland police Asst. Chief Casey Johnson said in a livestream that \u201cwe are not ruling anything out,\u201d when asked if they believed the incident was a murder-suicide. \u201cEverything is a possibility until we can fully investigate,\u201d he added, noting that there was a gun found at the scene. Oakland police on Sunday did not share additional information regarding the shooting.<\/p>\n
![\"Neighbors](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/SJM-L-OAKGATHERING-1005-3.jpg\")
Neighbors take part in a community gathering on Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026 in Oakland, Calif. Over 40 community members gathered in the Oakland hills above the campus of UC Berkeley to remember their neighbors Bryan Walker and his wife Michelle Min who were shot and killed on Friday. (Aric Crabb\/Bay Area News Group)\u00a0<\/p>\n
In response to the tragic deaths, neighbors in the Panoramic Hill community \u2013 which sits in the Oakland Hills on the border of Berkeley and Oakland \u2013 came together to grieve and remember the lives of the couple.<\/p>\n
At a public trail in the middle of the neighborhood where the couple was killed, neighbors came together to speak about the tragedy, at one point singing \u201cAmazing Grace.\u201d Many wept and embraced as some laid multicolored flowers or brought cards in memory of the pair.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re reminded how important it is to be in each other\u2019s lives and show up in these times of personal isolation and struggle, just as those who were closest to them did right up until the last day,\u201d said Daniella Salzman, a neighbor who help organize the event. \u201cBoth Bryan and Michelle were well-loved and they impacted many lives \u2026 We will miss them greatly and our hearts are with all those who loved them and are in mourning.\u201d<\/p>\n
Some neighbors, who believed that the incident was a murder-suicide, noted that Walker had become \u201cmentally unstable\u201d prior to the shooting. They asked their neighbors to watch over each other and to urge those with mental health issues to seek help immediately.<\/p>\n
For some, the loss came especially hard given the small, tight community, including for Jerry Wachtel, who has lived in the neighborhood for 25 years.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a very close-knit neighborhood as is. People do take care of each other \u2013 I think more so than any community where I\u2019ve ever lived,\u201d said Wachtel, who knew Walker from their time together on the neighborhood association and recalled helping Walker resolve some neighbor disputes. \u201cThis is a community and a neighborhood that is very peaceful, very private, we\u2019re sort of off the beaten track. \u2026 This shooting shattered my sense of protection that I\u2019ve known for many years.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Janice](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1791362556_26_SJM-L-OAKGATHERING-1005-1_abd9af.jpg\")
Janice Thomas ,center, speaks during a community gathering on Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026 in Oakland, Calif. Over 40 community members gathered in the Oakland hills above the campus of UC Berkeley to remember their neighbors Bryan Walker and his wife Michelle Min who were shot and killed on Friday. (Aric Crabb\/Bay Area News Group)\u00a0<\/p>\n
Despite the sad occasion, some noted glimpses of joy in its midst. For Danica O\u2019Leary, who lives in the neighborhood and helped organize the event, the memorial also served as a testament to \u201cthe rich connection and historical legacy on that hill.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAlways with darkness comes some light, and it was just beautiful to witness everyone gathering together: Just to be in community and to recommit to each other, to be neighborly, to be kind,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Staff photographer Aric Crabb contributed to this report.<\/p>\n