VTA Employee Arrested, Charged with Murder in Fatal Shooting of Co-Worker at Bus Yard

Santa Clara County Sheriff’s detectives today announced the arrest of a Valley Transportation Authority bus driver in connection with the fatal shooting of another bus driver in a VTA parking lot Friday night.

At an afternoon press conference, VTA CEO and General Manager Carolyn Gonot identified the victim as Regulus Teotico, 45, a bus driver for 10 years. Teotico, a father of two teenagers, was described by Gonot as a “kind, hard-working driver who was well-known to his colleagues.” Teotico was honored by family, friends and VTA co-workers at a vigil Sunday evening.

In a noon statement prior to the press conference, the Sheriff’s Office identified the lone suspect in the fatal shooting of Teotico as Duc Minh Bui, 33, of San Jose, who was arrested near his San Jose home at approximately 12:14pm. Sunday following an around-the-clock investigation. Bui was booked into the Santa Clara County Main Jail on a first-degree murder charge.

“Evidence and information suggest this is an isolated incident and Bui is solely responsible for the victim’s death,” the statement read. Gonot said Bui had also been a VTA bus driver for 10 years and detectives said he was an acquaintance of the victim.

Sheriff’s Capt. Sugey Jaimez told reporters today that, while the investigation was continuing, the motive apparently was not related to their jobs, but “had to do with money owed between the two,” in connection with gambling activities.

She said a search of Bui’s home yielded multiple firearms and that the suspect was a registered gun owner. She declined to identify the alleged murder weapon, but said ballistics evidence had been recovered from the scene of the Feb. 20 shooting.

Sheriff Bob Jonsen praised the work of his investigators, and the cooperation with the VTA and the San Jose Police Department, whose officers were first on the scene of the 9:50pm shooting. The Sheriff’s Office is the designated agency to handle all police matters related to the sprawling transportation agency, and is handling the murder investigation.

At the press conference, Jonsen said Teotico was the victim of “a senseless crime” that stunned a community and workforce still reeling from the mass shooting three years ago at a VTA rail facility in which an employee killed eight co-workers before turning the gun on himself.

He said he was glad to share news of the arrest of the suspect with the Teotido family at the vigil.

“It is not lost on us that this incident brings back the memories of just a few years ago in another VTA yard…that still resonates with all of us and still impacts us each and every day,” Jonsen said. “Workplace violence is a concern not only of the Sheriff’s Office, but also with organizations throughout this county. People need to feel safe when they come to work.”

San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, who attended the press conference with fellow VTA board member Cindy Chavez, a county supervisor, said the city is “retraumatized by this terrible event.”

The fatal shooting occurred Friday evening at the VTA Chaboya Division Yard on the 2200 block of South 7th Street near Tully Road and the County Fairgrounds.

The next day, authorities said a\ male transit employee had been pronounced dead at the scene of the shooting, suffering from “at least one” gunshot wound.

San Jose police received a 911 call about the shooting at 9:50pm Friday. Sheriff’s deputies responded to the call at 9:53pm, and are leading the investigation.

Friday’s incident was the third involving weapons and transit employees at a VTA facility in the past few years.

About one year after the mass shooting at the VTA’s Guadalupe Light Rail Yard, a VTA employee was arrested without incident after threatening violence at the San Jose bus yard.

VTA said on Saturday it has increased its security presence at the Chaboya bus yard and all other VTA facilities “to ensure the safety and well-being of all employees and the community.” Mental health professionals have been made available to employees and their families.

If anyone has any information regarding the incident, please contact the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Department Anonymous Crime Tip Line at 408-808-4431.

 

 

 

Three decades of journalism experience, as a writer and editor with Gannett, Knight-Ridder and Lee newspapers, as a business journal editor and publisher and as a weekly newspaper editor in Scotts Valley and Gilroy; with the Weeklys group since 2017. Recipient of several first-place writing and editing awards, California News Publishers Association.

One Comment

  1. Time to be Honest

    The Real Person!

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    The Real Person!

    Author Time to be Honest acts as a real person and verified as not a bot.
    Passed all tests against spam bots. Anti-Spam by CleanTalk.

    Praying for the victims family, especially the children.

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