CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) released video Friday showing the moment bus driver Ethan Rivera was shot during a road rage attack in February. He died at the hospital the next day.
WCNC Charlotte obtained a copy of the video, which contains about four minutes of audio and video recorded by cameras aboard the CATS bus. WCNC Charlotte has decided to not show the graphic video on-air or online out of respect for the Rivera family, and because the video does not provide any significant new details in the public interest.
Rivera was driving along West Trade Street near Truist Ballpark in Uptown Charlotte when he was shot on Feb. 11. He died the next day from his injuries. For more than two weeks, detectives and Rivera's family begged anyone with information to come forward.
"Please somebody, if you know anything, say something," Sylvia Rivera, Ethan Rivera's mother, said previously. "This animal has to be taken off the street. If it happened to my son, your child could be next because this person didn't seem to care who Ethan was or who he was leaving behind."
Darian Dru Thavychith, the man charged with killing Rivera, was arrested in Kansas on March 1 after a four-state manhunt. Thavychith was charged with murder and discharging a weapon into an occupied property in connection with the shooting. CMPD worked with the FBI, state investigators and local authorities in Colorado, Kansas and Tennessee in their attempts to track down Thavychith.
As of Monday, he was still awaiting extradition back to North Carolina to stand trial.
CEO John Lewis said Thavychith's arrest was a "bright ray of sunshine" for the CATS family and thanked police for their hard work.
As Friday marked the one-month anniversary of the shooting, CATS bus drivers continue to push for desired safety changes.
An organization called the Safe Assurance For Ethan, also known as S.A.F.E., was formed in the past month. Their goal is to make sure that all CATS employees feel protected while doing their jobs.
“I can’t believe it's been a month, but we’re here, and it’s only going to get better from here,” Tiera Hall, CATS Employee, said at a demonstration Friday that included about a dozen bus drivers.
“We want our work environment to allow us to return back home to our families every day and every night,” Gia Lockhart, an organizer of the demonstration, said.
The group hopes to see security improvements at the Charlotte Transit Center in order to reduce crime. The group would also like to see increased security presence on routes - and a direct call button on buses to dial 911.
Organizer Nichel Dunlap said they are compromising on some issues.
“I do know they said the bulletproof partition may be a bit heavy for them," she said. "So we are looking to see what in exchange for that will be light enough for them to carry for the protection of the operators.”
Since the death of Rivera, CATS told WCNC Charlotte they have inspected and repaired radio systems on buses. CATS is working to increase security presence and increase de-escalation training for employees. It will continue to work to increase safety measures for its staff and employees, they said.
Mecklenburg County Commissioner Vilma Leake did a ride-along with a CATS driver on March 3. Operators said the ride-along was important because they've complained about safety on buses for years, even before Rivera was shot. According to CATS, there have been 57 assaults on operators since 2017, including two shootings.
Days before Leake's ride-along, CATS employees and drivers gathered outside a Charlotte City Council meeting demanding safety changes. They dressed in all black and delivered a strong message to Mayor Vi Lyles and other city leaders.
"The city works because we do," Dominic Harris said.
Others said drivers and train operators fear for their safety every time they go to work. Willis Draughn said he's had other drivers call him in tears over security issues on buses.
"That's the issue in this city — we ain't get no respect," Draughn said. "These people don't get no respect. They help my city move. They help your city move."
The transit system said that all buses have cameras and GPS tracking and drivers barriers. But drivers say this isn’t enough. They want the barriers to be bulletproof and want security on buses, especially those routes that run at night. They also want emergency panic buttons on each bus and working phones in the case of an emergency.