Caesar Rosales, 55, was stabbed to death on a B.C. Transit bus in Kelowna on Thursday, Oct. 30, 2014. The man accused of second degree murder in connection with the killing, Tyler Jack Newton, 23, appeared in court Monday, Nov. 3, 2014 and was remanded in custody.
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December 31, 2014 - 2:30 PM
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KELOWNA – At the end of October, an attack on a city transit bus left a 55-year-old man dead from a stab wound to the neck and the city seething over what appeared to be a random attack.
Caesar Rosales, a popular employee at Kelowna Flightcraft, was the victim of what police called an “unprovoked attack” while commuting home. Between 15 and 20 people witnessed the incident and within days police announced an arrest would be made soon.
Later that day, Tyler Jack Newton, 23, was arrested and charged with second degree murder. Newton was known to police and has prior convictions including drug trafficking and breach of probation.
Although the seemingly random murder shook the city, citizens refused to let it stop them and B.C. Transit held a touching moment of silence Nov. 8.
At 10 a.m., all transit buses between Peachland and Lake Country were directed to pull off for what Amalgamated Transit Union president Les Milton called “a moment of silence and respect."
Many local drivers knew Rosales well as he used transit daily to get to his job and practically anywhere else he needed to go.
“This incident has shaken us to our core,” Milton said. “The drivers felt they needed to do something to show their respect so the company and the union sat down and came up with this. The drivers want (Rosales’) family to know he was a well-respected and well-liked man.
“There has been plenty of stories by drivers in the lunchroom ranging from ‘hey, I know him’ to ‘I’ve had some pretty cool talks with him’,” he said. “He touched a lot of drivers in our organization.”
The attack also initiated a conversation about security cameras on buses and on Nov. 6 the transit authority announced they would begin installation next spring.
To contact the reporter for this story, email Adam Proskiw at aproskiw@infonews.ca or call 250-718-0428. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.
News from © iNFOnews, 2014