Suspect in fatal VTA shooting appears in court – NBC Bay Area

The man accused of shooting his VTA colleague over gambling debts appeared in court for the first time on Wednesday.

Duc Minh Bui has not confessed and will remain behind bars without bail.

Bui, a VTA bus driver, is accused of shooting fellow driver Regulus Teotico at a VTA bus depot in San Jose last Friday.

The prosecution said it had compelling evidence against Bui.

“We have a witness who was present near the scene, and there is a surveillance camera in the VTA parking lot where the incident occurred that recorded some of the events,” said Santa Clara County Assistant District Attorney Michael Gilman.

According to a report from sheriff's office investigators, Teotico told another person he wanted to meet with Bui, who would give him money, and even asked that person to accompany him to make sure everything went smoothly. According to the report, Bui went to the passenger door of Teotico's car, opened it and shot him three times.

Prosecutors apparently cited a dispute over several thousand dollars in gambling debts as the motive for the shooting.

“Our information indicates there was gambling and betting on college football and NFL football,” Gilman said. “The investigation into how long this went on is ongoing.”

Prosecutors said officers executed a search warrant for Bui's home and found three registered firearms. He now faces a murder charge and special charges of using a firearm. He will appear in court again in December to enter his guilty plea.

Prosecutors said if convicted of murder and special charges, Bui could face a prison sentence of 50 years.

Teotico was the father of two teenage children and had worked at VTA for ten years. His colleagues described him as kind and generous.