Kimberly Riley & Jeremy Britt-Bayinthavong

On November 28th, 2002, the paths of 19-year-old Kimberly Riley and 5-year-old Jeremy Britt-Bayinthavong would converge at a house in Tacoma's South End, where they celebrated Thanksgiving with family and friends. That night, however, tragedy would strike, and both of their lives would be lost…

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November 28th, 2002 was a relatively cool day in the area of Tacoma, Washington. That Thursday - which happened to be Thanksgiving - temperatures would hover in the mid-40's. As night fell, a ghostly blanket of fog began to descend upon the region; especially in the area of South Tacoma, just a few miles south of Hilltop, the once-feared region of town, where gangs (such as the Crips) had battled viciously with law enforcement and each other through the 1980's and 1990's.

Here, in the quiet evening hours of Thanksgiving - exactly 17 years to the day before this episode is released - a tragedy would play out that would result in the loss of two lives, which were taken well before their time.

This is the story of Kimberly Riley and Jeremy Britt-Bayinthavong

Kimberly Carol Riley - known primarily as "Kim" - had grown up in the Hawaiian town of Volcano. The daughter of Mike and Carol Riley, Kimberly grew up with just one sibling - an older brother named James - and she would eventually graduate from Waiakea High School in 2001.

Kim was a known animal lover, who had volunteered at a Hilo veterinary clinic throughout high school. She had even convinced her parents to rescue a pair of animals from the local humane society, and had long toyed with the idea of entering the veterinary field as an adult.

Following her high school graduation, Kim set her sights on higher education, and attended the University of Hawaii-Hilo for her freshman year. But throughout that year, she realized that she wanted to move out on her own and experience more than just island life. She set her sights on moving to the mainland, and applied to the University of Washington, up near Seattle.

While Kimberly was originally intimidated by the larger school (and city life), she quickly settled into her coursework, and told her family that she had finally settled upon a career path: she planned on pursuing a career in accounting, and told her parents that she one day dreamed of owning and operating her own business.

For the meantime, though, the 19-year-old began to transition into her new life in Washington state, and was aided by a couple of resources in the area: not only the UW Hawaiian Club, which she had joined as soon as she moved to the area, but her older brother, James - who just so happened to live in the area, and worked as an electrician in Seattle.

Kim was very much a young woman in the process of finding herself, but almost everyone that knew her remembers her as a kind and patient soul, who - as her father told News Tribune reporter Stacey Mulick:

"She never had a mean thing to say about anybody.

"She was sweet and quiet. She was a really gentle person."

About 30 miles south of Kim's life at the University of Washington, a child was just beginning to grow into his own personality.

Jeremy Britt-Bayinthavong would celebrate his fifth birthday on November 7th, 2002, and was known as a quiet child that smiled a lot. He spent a lot of time over at his grandparents’ home in Tacoma's South End, and was often seen by neighbors riding his bicycle in their front yard.

Jennifer Yi, a neighbor of Jeremy's grandparents, occasionally babysat the boy, and later told the News-Tribune:

"He was just a little kid. He had beautiful eyes."

On November 28th, 2002 - Thanksgiving day - Kimberly and Jeremy's paths would converge at a house in Tacoma's South End.

Both ended up in the 1000 block of S. 75th Street, just a few blocks away from Interstate-5 (the main north & southbound freeway in the area). This was a dead-end neighborhood, in a very suburban area, just down the street from several churches and a couple of schools & daycares. The house itself was in a cul-de-sac, set back from the busier roads in the area.

The Thanksgiving party was being hosted by Joe and Evangeline Britt, who happened to be 5-year-old Jeremy's grandparents. They lived at the house with their daughter, daughter's boyfriend, and grandson, but Jeremy and his parents were regular guests there for holidays (Thanksgiving included).

Kimberly, meanwhile, had just moved to the area and didn't really know anyone to spend the holidays with. But she had become known to the Britt family through her brother, James - who worked as an electrician in Seattle and had bonded with many of the Britt family members through their love of working on cars. He had been invited to Thanksgiving, and extended that invitation to his sister, Kim.

They were just a few of the roughly two-dozen or so guests in the Britt house that night, who were friends and family alike. While they all varied in age, race, and background, they came together on Thanksgiving to celebrate their love of turkey, stuffing, football, working on cars, and one another’s company.

Following dinner, the younger attendees - Kim and Jeremy alike - began to move downstairs, gravitating towards the TV and games that awaited them. While some of the young adults and teenagers settled in for a game at the pool table, a smaller group settled in to watch "Men in Black II," which had just come out on DVD and VHS a couple of days prior. The rest of the "adults" (so to speak) remained upstairs on the second/main level of the home, chit-chatting and beginning the extensive cleanup process.

While the evening was beginning to die down, at least one individual was lurking outside of the house, preparing to commit an unthinkable act of violence. It was at around 10:05 PM that the silent night air was shattered with a quick barrage of gunfire, with bullets pouring in through one of the downstairs windows.

The bullets came flying in through the second window to the right of the front door, at the front of the home. The drapes had been left mostly-closed, and the window itself was fogged up - indicating that the killer likely couldn't see inside. But, as law enforcement would later speculate, that didn't matter. The gunman - whoever he or she was - likely didn't even care.

Joe Britt, the homeowner, would later tell reporters with the News Tribune:

"It just happened. It sounded like eight or nine (shots), then all hell broke loose."

As chaos unfolded inside and around the Britt home that evening, the gunman - or gunmen - managed to slip away without being noticed by anyone inside.

At least four people inside of the home at the time were shot, including Kimberly and Jeremy; who had no relation to one another, but had both been inside the house at the time of this fateful incident.

Also inside the home were 20-year-old Harmony Spencer and her 22-year-old brother Jeff, who were the niece and nephew of the homeowners, Joe and Evangeline Britt - who also happened to be Jeremy's cousins. Harmony had actually been snuggling with Jeremy at the time, since he wasn't feeling well that evening and she was trying to comfort him as they watched the movie. However, both had been shot at the same time, and Harmony was hit by three bullets: one, which went through her arm, and others that grazed and hit across her back and near her stomach.

Jeff, Harmony's older brother, had been shot in the foot, but the bullet had actually severed nerves in his leg; forever changing how he would walk. Thankfully, though, the two siblings managed to survive the terrifying ordeal... but Kimberly and Jeremy were not so lucky.

5-year-old Jeremy Britt-Bayinthavong was the first casualty that holiday weekend, having been rushed to the nearby Mary Bridge Children's Hospital - where he would pass away just hours later. He was followed closely by 19-year-old Kimberly Riley, who had been transported to the nearby Madigan Army Medical Center with two gunshot wounds to her chest.

Mike and Carol Riley - Kimberly's parents - would hear about their only daughter's injuries and subsequent death from thousands of miles away, helpless to save her. They had spoken to her earlier that day, having wished her a happy Thanksgiving; but would receive a call later that night from their son, James, letting them know that Kim had been shot and was in the hospital. Kim's parents would speak to the surgeon that evening, who told them to travel to Washington as soon as possible; but less than an hour later, they would receive a follow-up call letting them know that Kim had passed away.

James Riley - Kimberly's older brother - had been with her at the time of the shooting, but had left the room just moments before the gunman opened fire. He later credited this decision with saving his life, considering himself lucky to be alive in the aftermath of this tragedy.

Despite living blameless lives, Kimberly Riley and Jeremy Britt-Bayinthavong would become the 15th and 16th homicide victims in Tacoma that year.

Unfortunately, very little evidence could be found at the crime scene itself. Police would later tell the family members of the two victims that they had been unable to recover any kind of forensic evidence - such as fingerprints, hair fibers, DNA, etc. - at the scene. In addition, the ground outside the crime scene was not soft enough for footprints to have left, and bullet & shells recovered from the scene would be sent off for analysis, but revealed very little.

Police have remained guarded about what evidence they may have, but - based on statements from Kimberly and Jeremy's loved ones - it is not believed to be much.

Despite there being little-to-no physical evidence, police were able to gather evidence in the form of witness sightings: two witness sightings, who described seeing an individual and vehicle leaving the area of the crime scene at around the time that the shooting happened, just after 10:00 PM that Thanksgiving.

An unidentified suspect was spotted by a neighbor fleeing the scene, having run around the street corner of the cul-de-sac, down South L Street. They were seemingly headed towards a busier outlet, S. 76th Street, which could feasibly take them towards I-5 (or in the other direction, towards Pacific Avenue, a relatively busy thoroughfare that runs parallel to I-5). This individual had dark hair and was wearing a puffy jacket or winter coat, but unfortunately, not much more information about this person has been released in the years since.

Another neighbor that lived down the street would recall seeing a truck speed down the street in the time-frame of the shooting, which they described as a dark-colored late 70's or early 80's-era Ford pickup truck. This witness described the truck as being brown - maybe light brown - but they weren't positive. They also described the truck as having a lighter-colored canopy - possibly white in color - and big, bold white letters on the truck's tailgate which spelled "FORD."

Suspiciously, this vehicle drove down the block without its headlights on, heading westbound (towards I-5). It wasn't until the truck began to turn the corner that it flashed its headlights on, likely trying to avoid being spotted by other eyewitnesses in the neighborhood.

Police have theorized that this truck might not have belonged to the shooter, but might have been borrowed from someone. And its specificity - being an older model pickup truck of unique coloring - meant that it could easily be identified by friends or family. Sadly, no one has come forward in the years since.

In an intriguing twist, it would come-to-light that this wasn't the first shooting to take place at the same house. More than two years before this tragic shooting, a similar incident had unfolded at the Britt's home, which - thankfully - didn't result in any deaths or major injuries.

Joe and Evangeline Britt had been at-home at the time - roughly 8:20 PM on March 3rd, 2000 - when a gunman opened fired, shooting more than 23 rounds into the house for an unknown reason. Like the Thanksgiving shooting more than two-and-a-half years later, the culprit of this shooting would remain unidentified, and it remains unknown - albeit likely - that the two incidents are related.

Regardless of that fact, the motives of the Thanksgiving shooting would also remain a mystery, as none of the party-goers had any ties or connections to local gangs or any kind of illicit criminal activity (such as drugs). None of the people at the Britts' home that evening had any prior criminal convictions, and there was no known reason for anyone to have targeted them for such reckless violence.

For whatever reason, the killer had approached the home on Thanksgiving, knowing full-well that the house was likely to be full of family and friends gathering to celebrate the holiday. The window that they opened fire into was obscured by drapes and condensation, so they likely couldn't even see who they were shooting. In fact, based on the trajectory of the bullets, it is believed that the shooter was firing wildly, not targeting any one individual or location. They likely just saw figures moving around inside, and decided to try and hit as many as possible.

Detective Brian Vold of the Tacoma Police Department would later recount to Washington's Most Wanted on a segment that aired back in 2013:

"What's most troubling about this is they didn't care who they shot as long as they sent the message. The person that may have been the ultimate goal was in the house, but that isn't the person they shot. They shot four innocent people who have no criminal background, no trouble in their life, they were just seated at the wrong place, at the wrong time."

The shooting deaths of Kimberly Riley and Jeremy Britt-Bayinthavong remain unsolved to this day, with both of their families continuing to remember the two precious lives that were lost that Thanksgiving evening.

The owners of the home that became a crime scene - Joe and Evangeline Britt - would move out of the home shortly after the shooting, not only finding it unsafe to continue living there, but being unable to do so knowing what had happened to their grandson within the four walls. In the years after the shooting, they would find themselves unable to truly celebrate Thanksgiving, and continue to struggle with his loss - as do his parents and other loved ones.

Likewise, Mike and Carol Riley - Kimberly's parents, who continue to live in Hawaii - begin to feel the cold reminder of her death every Halloween, aware that they are then counting down the days to the anniversary of her tragic loss. This Thanksgiving - while we Americans all gather to celebrate the festivities with our loved ones - they recognize that it has now been 17 years to the day since their only daughter was taken away from them by this savage, unknown killer.

At a press conference held in the days after the shooting, the families of both victims vowed to find answers in this case, and appealed to the public to help them do so. Joe Britt, Jeremy's grandfather, told the media:

"I promised (Jeremy) we'd find who did this. Him and Kimberly will not die in vain.

"There has got to be somebody out there who knows something. You've got to have a conscience."

In the following weeks, Mike Riley would tell reporters with the News Tribune that he favored the death penalty for the guilty parties (which, at the time, was still allowed in Washington state):

"The only justice would be to let me do it. It was a cowardly act by a cowardly person - firing through shaded windows."

A small reward can still be redeemed by anyone with knowledge of this case, who is interested in helping these families find justice this holiday season. If you have any information, please reach out to the Tacoma Police Department, or call the Pierce County Crime Stoppers tip-line at 253-591-5959. There, you can keep submit your tips or information anonymously, and again, the number is 253-591-5959.

As of this episode's recording, the stories of Kimberly Riley and Jeremy Britt-Bayinthavong remain unresolved.

Episode Information

Episode researched, written, hosted, and produced by Micheal Whelan

Published on November 28th, 2019

Producers: Maggyjames, Ben Krokum, Roberta Janson, Matthew Brock, Quil Carter, Peggy Belarde, Evan White, Laura Hannan, Sam Obbard, Katherine Vatalaro, Damion Moore, Astrid Kneier, Amy Hampton, Scott Meesey, Steven Wilson, Scott Patzold, Emily McMehen, Marie Vanglund, Lori Rodriguez, Jessica Yount, Aimee McGregor, Danny Williams, Sue Kirk, Sara Moscaritolo, Brian Rollins, Lauren Harris, Thomas Ahearn, Aimee McGregor, Marion Welsh, and Seth Morgan