A Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) worker was arrested near his San Jose home Sunday afternoon for the suspected killing of a VTA bus driver he knew, a Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office spokesman said Sunday evening.
The suspect was identified as Duc Minh Bui, 33, sheriff's spokesman Brooks Jarosz said. Neither the victim's name nor the character of the connection between Bui and the victim were released, although Jarosz said the 2 knew one another.
The shooting occurred around 9:40 p.m. Friday within the parking zone of the VTA's Chaboya Division Yard on South seventh Street in San Jose. A 911 call alerted the San Jose Fire Department to the shooting. Emergency crews arrived on the scene and located the victim had been shot at the least once. He was pronounced dead on the scene, Jarosz said.
A law enforcement source told the Bay Area News Group that they imagine the victim was “targeted.” VTA Executive Director and CEO Carolyn Gonot said Saturday that the shooting appears to be an “isolated incident.”
The shooting occurred greater than three years after a disgruntled VTA mechanic shot and killed nine of his colleagues on the VTA Guadalupe rail depot in San Jose before shooting himself.
The May 2021 mass murder, the deadliest in Bay Area history, sparked discussions about long-term improvements to workplace safety on the agency and increased security measures for workers on the murder scene.
The families of those killed in addition to a former bus driver have filed multiple lawsuits against VTA, the sheriff's office and Allied Universal, a non-public security company hired to guard VTA facilities. He claims his post-traumatic stress disorder was exacerbated by the mass shooting.
Friday's shooting shocked and confused VTA employees, said Raj Singh, president of the Amalgamated Transit Union. Some employees had just gotten off work on the time of the shooting, Singh said, while others learned of the shooting through text messages.
VTA offers psychological support to employees who need it.
In addition, Cindy Chavez, Santa Clara County Councilwoman and chair of the Valley Transportation Authority Board of Directors, said security measures at transportation facilities have been increased following the shooting.
Anyone with information in regards to the shooting is asked to call the Sheriff's Office at 408-808-4500 or contact the Sheriff's Office anonymous tip line at 408-808-4431.
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