Additional details in the fatal Culver CityBus shooting have emerged, including the identities of the victim and the suspected gunman.
The shooting occurred Thursday evening in Mar Vista and claimed the life of bus driver Bruce Rodriguez, a 42-year-old man whose family remembered his dedication to his loved ones, including his parents and his two sons, a 3-year-old and a 6-month-old.
“Bruce served his community from behind the wheel. The role he loved most was at home, where he got to be a husband and a dad,” Kathy Sanchez, Rodriguez’s sister-in-law, said in the description of a GoFundMe campaign seeking aid for his survivors.
“Bruce was his family’s primary provider. He took great pride in caring for the people he loved,” continued Sanchez, the organizer for the fundraiser.
After the shooting, which occurred near the intersection of South Centinela and Mitchell avenues, a man with a head wound was taken off the Culver CityBus, according to a witness.
Police said responding officers found the bus driver unresponsive in his seat. Officials determined Rodriguez suffered a gunshot wound, and paramedics transported him to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Attorney Denisse Gastélum confirmed to The Times that Rodriguez was killed in the shooting. She also shared that a coworker-organized memorial celebrating Rodriguez’s life will take place Saturday evening at the Wildwood Elementary School.
The memorial will take place a day after police announced the arrest of the suspected gunman. The Los Angeles Police Department confirmed it arrested 55-year-old Jose Zayas on Friday, according to a media release.
LAPD Robbery Homicide Division, with the assistance of the Gang and Narcotics Division, arrested Zayas Friday afternoon. He was booked on a charge of murder. He is currently jailed in Van Nuys, and his bail is set at $3 million. He could not be reached for comment.
In a statement to The Times on Saturday, Gastélum said news of Zayas’ arrest is “an important step toward answers and accountability for Bruce’s family” but does not minimize the loss of Rodriguez.
“Bruce spent 12 years serving this community, and he should have come home to his family,” she said. “As we honor him tonight, we also call on public employers to listen to their employees’ safety concerns and take meaningful action to protect the public servants who keep our communities moving.”
Culver City Mayor Freddy Puza said in a statement on Friday, “We have lost a deeply valued member of our City Family to a senseless act of violence.” Puza announced it would suspend Culver CityBus service throughout the weekend and provide staff with crisis support as they grieve Rodriguez’s death.
“When services do resume, please be kind to our operators and transit team as they navigate this unimaginable tragedy,” Puza concluded his announcement.
The GoFundMe campaign for Rodriguez’s family has raised more than $78,600 of its $150,000 goal. The description for the fundraiser remembered Rodriguez for his “easygoing warmth,” his affinity for race cars, baking and “a good cup of coffee.”
“These are the everyday pieces of Bruce that his family and friends will carry with them,” the GoFundMe said.
Rodriguez is survived by his parents, his wife Sandy and their two sons, and his sister-in-law.
Times staff writer Iris Kwok contributed to this report.
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