CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Darian Dru Thavychith, the man charged with killing Charlotte bus driver Ethan Rivera in February 2022, was in court Thursday, records show. Attorneys told WCNC Charlotte the hearing regarded property disposition, and the court agreed with the parties involved to release certain property collected during the investigation.
Thavychith will appear again in court in September 2023.
Rivera died after he was shot during an alleged road rage incident on Feb. 11, 2022. Detectives said he and Thavychith got into an argument that led to the shooting near Truist Field and Romare Bearden Park. Thavychith was arrested nearly two weeks later in Kansas. He's been in jail since he was extradited back to North Carolina in March 2022.
Prosecutors announced in September they will not seek the death penalty against Thavychith, who was charged with murder in the shooting.
The incident led to protests from CATS operators who told city leaders they didn't feel safe on the job. Numerous safety measures have been proposed since then, including bulletproof partitions to protect bus drivers. In May, a bus driver and passenger were involved in a shootout near the premium outlets in Steele Creek.
"Bus drivers are getting spit on, cursed out, name-calling like you have no idea," one employee told WCNC Charlotte. "Every day I feel like my life is in jeopardy. When I pull off on my bus, I say a prayer for myself and my co-workers because I know anything can happen."
WCNC Charlotte will update this story with details from Thursday's hearing. Download the WCNC Charlotte app for the latest breaking news, weather and traffic alerts.
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