Culver City Bus driver Bruce Rodriguez killed in Mar Vista; Jose Zayas, 55, Arrested

A man suspected of fatally shooting Culver CityBus driver Bruce Rodriguez in Mar Vista has been booked for murder, Los Angeles police said, as family, coworkers and neighbors gathered Saturday night in Culver City to remember the 42-year-old father of two.

The shooting happened around 5:15 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 1, on a Culver CityBus near Mitchell and Centinela avenues, in the Mar Vista neighborhood of Los Angeles. Other accounts placed the scene along Centinela near Washington Boulevard. Although the bus is operated by Culver City, the location is in Los Angeles Police Department jurisdiction. Robbery-Homicide Division detectives are investigating, with assistance from the Gang and Narcotics Division and the FBI Violent Crime Apprehension Task Force.

LAPD Capt. Eric Eppolito said the passenger appeared intoxicated and argued with the driver over a missed exit or the bus going the wrong direction. Eppolito said the passenger then pulled a handgun from a bag and fired. Two other passengers were on the bus and were not hurt, he said. Officers found Rodriguez unresponsive in the driver's seat. Paramedics treated him at the scene for gunshot wounds - FOX 11 reported two - and took him to a hospital, where he died. A witness told the Los Angeles Times a man with a head wound was taken off the bus.

Rodriguez, identified by his family and by attorney Denisse Gastélum, was a 12-year Culver CityBus veteran and the primary provider for his household. He is survived by his wife, Sandy, their sons - a nearly 3-year-old and a 6-month-old - and his parents, whom relatives said he also helped care for. Sister-in-law Kathy Sanchez said on a family GoFundMe that "the role he loved most was at home, where he got to be a husband and a dad," and that he took pride in caring for the people he loved. Cousin Lisette Landaverde-Meza told KTLA, "I don't know what our family is going to do without him." Sanchez also told KTLA that Rodriguez handed out Hot Wheels cars to younger riders and that "his priority was always keeping his passengers safe." Relatives remembered him for easygoing warmth, humor, race cars, baking pan dulce and coffee. Culver City Vice Mayor Bubba Fish confirmed he was a Culver CityBus driver.

The suspect, identified by the LAPD as 55-year-old Jose Zayas, left the bus and fled. He was earlier described as a man in his 40s last seen in a white shirt, leaving on a bicycle taken from the front rack or on foot. No weapon was recovered at the scene. The bus was equipped with cameras, which detectives reviewed along with witness statements.

Police said Zayas was taken into custody Friday at 2:07 p.m. in the 3600 block of Motor Avenue, outside an apartment in Palms, and booked on suspicion of murder. He is being held at the Van Nuys jail with bail set at $3 million. Officer Tony Im had confirmed an arrest to the Los Angeles Times on Friday before the department released Zayas' name.

Coworkers organized a memorial Saturday evening at Wildwood Elementary School. Family, colleagues and community members were asked to bring candles and green, white or silver balloons. In a statement to The Times on Saturday as the gathering was held, Gastélum called Zayas' arrest "an important step toward answers and accountability for Bruce's family," but said it does not lessen the loss. "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." Speaking for the family, Sandy Sanchez said she hoped changes would keep another family from the same loss - that no wife should lose her husband, and no child a father, simply because he went to work.

Culver City suspended CityBus service through the weekend so employees could grieve, with regular service set to resume Monday. Mayor Freddy Puza called the shooting a "senseless act of violence" and said the city had lost a member of its team who "made a meaningful difference through that service every day." He asked riders, when service resumes, to "be kind to our operators and transit team as they navigate this unimaginable tragedy." The family GoFundMe for Bruce Rodriguez is here: Honor Bruce Rodriguez and support his young family.It was organized by his sister-in-law Kathy Sanchez and his wife, Sandy Sanchez, to cover memorial costs and help support Sandy, their two young sons, and his parents. As of early Sunday, it had raised more than $100,000 of a $150,000 goal.