Ethan Rivera, a 41-year-old Hispanic bus driver for the Charlotte Area Transit System, was shot and killed on February 11, 2022, near Truist Field in Uptown Charlotte. According to reports, Rivera and Darian Dru Thavychith got into an argument that escalated; Thavychith fired a single bullet that struck and killed Rivera. Thavychith fled the scene and was arrested in Kansas nearly two weeks later, then extradited to North Carolina and held in jail.

Thavychith was charged with second-degree murder and shooting into an occupied vehicle. Rivera’s family — including his mother Sylvia, his fiancée, and other loved ones — attended court. They expressed disappointment and anger at the outcome, and Sylvia Rivera spoke emotionally about the loss; Rivera left behind two children. Family and friends held memorials and protests at the intersection of Graham and Trade Street, where the shooting occurred, with prayers, stories, and symbolic releases of doves and balloons.

Does anyone have memories of Rivera from his route or the Uptown area that could add to the community record?