On September 20, 2024, 45-year-old Regulus "Reggie" Teotico, a ten-year veteran bus driver for the Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) in San Jose, California, was fatally shot at the Chaboya Division Yard. Authorities responded to the scene around 9:30 p.m., discovering Teotico with multiple gunshot wounds near his vehicle in the employee parking lot; he was pronounced dead at the scene.
The investigation led to the arrest of 33-year-old VTA bus driver Duc Minh Bui, who was apprehended near his San Jose home on September 22. Surveillance footage and witness testimonies indicated that Bui and Teotico, known to socialize and engage in betting activities outside of work, had a financial dispute over an unpaid gambling debt. Captain Sugey Jaimez of the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office stated, "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." Bui, who has no prior criminal history, now faces a first-degree murder charge.
The VTA community, still recovering from a tragic mass shooting in 2021 that claimed the lives of nine employees, is once again grappling with loss. VTA General Manager Carolyn Gonot described Teotico as "a kind, hard-working driver who was well known amongst his colleagues ... He is survived by his two teenage children, Reese and Cali. In the wake of this incident, VTA has offered grief counseling services to its employees and increased security measures across its facilities to support staff during this difficult time.
