Investigators Say Gambling Debt Was Motive In Friday Shooting at VTA Yard

Authorities said Monday that a shooting on Friday, allegedly committed by one Valley Transportation Authority employee against another, did not have to do with workplace tensions.

We now know the name of the victim in the shooting that occurred Friday night around 9:50 pm at the Chaboya Division Yard in San Jose. As KTVU reports, VTA employee Regulus “Reggie” Teotico, 45, was fatally shot, allegedly by coworker and fellow bus driver Duc Minh Bui, 33. Bui was arrested on Sunday at his San Jose home.

“They were known to participate in the same activities outside of their VTA employment,” said Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Capt. Sugey Jaimez, per Bay Area News Group. “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.”

Jaimez added, after an initial investigation, that “there [were] no red flags,” and regarding Bui, she said, “He has no criminal history.”

VTA General Manager Carolyn Gonot confirmed the identity of Teotico to the media, and said that he was a 10-year veteran of the VTA, and was “a kind, hard-working driver who was well known amongst his colleagues.”

Teotico is survived by two teenage children.

Sheriff’s investigator Lt. Steven Hernandez has said publicly, per Bay Area News Group, that there were witnesses to the shooting, which reportedly occurred in a parking lot.

The shooting comes over three years after the deadliest mass shooting in Bay Area history, which was a workplace shooting at the VTA committed by a reportedly disgruntled mechanic who also took his own life. Nine men were killed in that shooting, after which the VTA vowed to address problems in its workplace culture.

This remains an open investigation, and 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.

Previously: VTA Employee Arrested For Friday Slaying of Coworker In San Jose