SAN JOSE — Authorities say an extracurricular gambling debt between two bus drivers fueled a fatal shooting at a Valley Transportation Authority bus yard over the weekend, rattling an agency scarred by a historic mass shooting three years ago that also involved an employee who targeted his colleagues.
At a news conference Monday at the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office — which provides police services for VTA — investigators said the circumstances of the Friday night shooting was not related to the workplace the shooter and victim shared. .
“They were known to participate in the same activities outside of their VTA employment,” Sheriff’s Capt. Sugey Jaimez said. “We believe the motive had to do with money owed between the two from their betting activities, which had nothing to do with their employment.”
The shooting was reported around 9:50 p.m. Friday in an employee parking lot at the VTA Chaboya Division Yard on South 7th Street near Tully Road in San Jose. Police, fire and emergency personnel responded to the call and found a man suffering from gunshot injuries; he was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Santa Clara County Medical Examiner-Coroner’s Office has not formally released the victim’s name, but listed the victim as a 45-year-old San Jose resident. VTA General Manager Carolyn Gonot identified him Monday as Regulus Teotico, and said he went by “Regus.”
Gonot said Teotico had worked for VTA for 10 years and was “a kind, hard-working driver who was well known amongst his colleagues,” and was the father of two teenage children.
“Everyone at VTA extends their deepest condolences to Regus’ family and friends,” Gonot said.
On Sunday, the sheriff’s office announced that it had arrested 33-year-old Duc Minh Bui at his San Jose home just after noon, and booked him into jail on suspicion of murder.
Lt. Steven Hernandez, also a sheriff’s investigator, said Monday there were some witnesses at the shooting site, but he did not reveal what they heard or saw. Hernandez also declined to disclose whether any part of the attack was captured on security video. He added that three bullet casings were recovered from the crime scene.
Jaimez said no other suspects were being sought in the shooting.
“We do believe this was an isolated incident, and we are confident Bui is responsible,” she said.
When asked about any warning signs that Bui might have exhibited leading up to the killing, VTA officials declined to disclose information about his disciplinary history. Jaimez, however, said the initial investigation has not immediately turned up evidence that could have anticipated Friday’s violence.
“As far as we know, there (are) no red flags,” she said. “He has no criminal history.”
In the shooting’s immediate aftermath, a union leader said VTA employees scrambled to find out what had happened, as some were just getting off work and sharing information through text messages. The agency pledged mental health and counseling services to employees, and announced stepped-up security at VTA facilities.
A candlelight vigil was held for Teotico on Sunday night, and was featured in a Facebook post by a family member. Another post shows photos of Teotico walking on the beach, celebrating his 40th birthday, and being with family.
“We remember you in the morning, in the night, when we look at the stars, a song, a place, in a prayer,” the post reads. “You are always with us. GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN.”
Bui’s arrest came a day after a Saturday morning news conference called by VTA officials and union leaders in which they described the shooting as an isolated, targeted encounter. It was a swift response likely informed by the 2021 VTA railyard shooting that holds the distinction of being the deadliest mass shooting in Bay Area history.
That shooting site, the Guadalupe yard on West Younger Avenue, is next door to the sheriff’s headquarters where Monday’s news conference was held.
“We were rebuilding after the tragic incident of three years ago, and so for many people, this is reliving one of the worst experiences they’ve ever had in their life,” County Supervisor Cindy Chavez, who chairs the VTA board of directors, said Monday. “That’s why the mental health services, that’s why us wrapping our arms around each other is so important.”
In May 2021, a disgruntled VTA mechanic shot and killed nine of his coworkers before fatally shooting himself. The building where most of the killings occurred was dismantled by the agency two years ago.
The shooting prompted calls for long-term improvements to workplace safety and increased security at VTA work sites. It also elicited criticisms about whether systemic management problems led to failures to identify red flags leading up to the shooting, inflamed by a VTA-commissioned report that largely absolved the agency.
Multiple lawsuits were filed by victim families against the transit agency, the sheriff’s office, and Allied Universal, a private security company contracted to protect VTA facilities; the plaintiffs received an $8 million settlement in November 2022. More recently, a former bus driver objected to his firing for unexcused absences by claiming his post-traumatic stress disorder was worsened by the shooting.
Anyone with information about Friday’s VTA shooting can contact the sheriff’s office at 408-808-4500 or the sheriff’s anonymous tip line at 408-808-4431.
Staff writers Caelyn Pender and Kristin J. Bender contributed to this report.
1 of 6
Originally Published: