LEE COUNTY, Fla. — Behind every face and every action, there's a name. The search for those names is where the journey begins.
Fox 4's Senior Reporter Kaitlin Knapp is on a mission to get to know the names we know, and perhaps find the ones we don't, along with the detectives working in the same communities you call home.
In Fox 4's award-winning series "Sunshine Crimes," we are going across Southwest Florida to tell the stories of people waiting for justice.
In this story, a woman lost her son and fiance. She and the men are waiting for their killer to be put behind bars.
Senior Reporter Kaitlin Knapp explains why the Cold Case Unit believes this was targeted:
A birthday party at the Bell Tower Shops ended in gunfire nearly seven years ago, but it wasn't just a few bullets.
"I’ve been doing this for some period of time and this instance of just sheer unlimited violence is uncommon," said Paul O'Keefe, an analyst with the Lee County Sheriff's Office Cold Case Unit. "No regard for human life whatsoever."
On October 9, 2018, the birthday party ended inside TGIFridays. As family and friends, gunshots rang out.
"As our victims are walking across the walkway, that subject open fired with what was described as a rifle," O'Keefe said. "Mr. Robinson and the female victim both went down in the grass right here — right outside the walkway,"
Kevin Robinson was shot once in the chest and died. The woman was shot three times and survived, but the gunfire didn't stop.
"Javarcia Riggins figured out what was going on and took off running," O'Keefe said.
Riggins ran about 200 feet away from where Robinson died.
"He was shot multiple times as he ran across the parking lot," O'Keefe said.
The gunfire stopped after Riggins was left motionless. O'Keefe says the bullets came from a man, who got out of the passenger side of a dark-colored car with an AR-15 style rifle.
"This unknown subject was firing round after round after round," O'Keefe said.
Those rounds hit anything in their way.
"Those bullets don’t care where they stop — they just stop wherever they’re pointed at," O'Keefe explained. "Bullets are flying all over the place."
Sunshine Crimes is able to show you these evidence photos for the first time. Bullets hit trees, parking curbs, an office building about 500 feet away, parked cars and a car that was driving.
"The shooter fired at least 49 times with that rifle in an effort to stop and kill Javarcia Riggins," O'Keefe said.
The shooter ended getting up back in the car and taking off down Daniels Parkway — the last time anyone saw the killer.
"This was a targeted killing," O'Keefe said.
He believes the target was Riggins because the shooting didn't stop until he was hit.
But how did the shooters know Riggins was at Bell Tower?
"Somebody in the birthday party group posted a photo to Facebook. That photo included Mr. Riggins," O'Keefe said.
He thinks the shooter was made aware of the photo or saw it himself.
Another question: why shoot 49 times to kill one person — what's the motive?
"I think we have a fair idea, but there’s clearly more to it than what we know," O'Keefe said. "Someone targeted this person."
Riggins got out of prison about seven months before the shooting.
"It’s possible that prior events were the catalyst for this event, it’s possible," O'Keefe said.
However, the answer won't fully come until the community comes forward.
"Closure can be made on a case like this," O'Keefe said.
This is where you come in.
"This is one of those cases where anonymity is so important," said Trish Routte, manager of Southwest Florida CrimeStoppers.
She firmly believes people who still live in Lee County have the answers.
"We get why people believe there would be fear because the people that were involved that night, the people that brought guns to the Bell Tower that night are very dangerous people," Routte explained.
She says to potentially close this case, tips are need. She wants you to know you will remain anonymous.
"The violence in our community is going to continue to perpetuate until people have the bravery to speak up," Routte said.
Speak up and hopefully bring justice to the families still waiting for answers.
"We don’t give up on cold cases," O'Keefe said. "We’ll keep going on this one, too."
If you have any information about the murders, call CrimeStoppers at 1-800-780-TIPS. You can also call the Cold Case Unit directly at 239-477-1140.
There is a $5,000 cash reward for information leading to an arrest.
