Culver City: Bus Driver Fatally Shot; LA Prosecutors Charge Passenger With Murder
A Culver CityBus driver was shot and killed aboard his bus on Oct. 1, and Los Angeles County prosecutors have charged a passenger with murder, the LA County District Attorney's Office and the City of Culver City announced Oct. 7. Driver Bruce Rodriguez, 42, was shot multiple times at about 5 p.m. on South Centinela Avenue.
Prosecutors say the driver could not accommodate a stop request because of traffic; the passenger allegedly opened fire, then took a bicycle from the bus rack and left. He was arrested the next day. The defendant is Jose Antonio Zayas of Los Angeles.
Charges filed Oct. 6 include one count of murder with a special-circumstance allegation involving transportation personnel, a firearm-use allegation, and one count of felon in possession of a firearm. Zayas is held without bail, with arraignment continued to Nov. 5 in Department 30 of the Foltz Criminal Justice Center. If convicted, he faces life in prison without parole. The case is investigated by the LAPD Robbery-Homicide Division and prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Alexander Bott of the Major Crimes Division.
Prosecutors note the charges remain allegations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty. GSM will follow the case.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: Wikimedia Commons（CC BY-SA 4.0，作者 Jengod）
