Moment of silence to be observed for slain B.C. transit passenger

It’s been nearly nine years since Caesar Rosales was fatally stabbed in a city bus on his commute home and the Central Okanagan Transit Action Alliance is asking people to take a moment and remember the senseless act of violence.

The transit advocacy group posted a reminder that there will be a minute of silence next week to coincide with the Oct. 30, 2014, killing.

“At noon we are recognizing the loss of Mr. Rosales with a one-minute moment of silence in an ongoing effort to end violence aboard Transit buses,” reads the alert.

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“We the operators and riders of Transit systems across this country invite you to participate and engage in the enhancement of a safe environment on and off the bus.”

The alliance said that the bus is a safe place and it’s important to keep it that way.

In 2014, Rosales was on his way home when Tyler Jack Newton, in a drug-fuelled state, slashed his throat and ran off the bus. Rosales, who never met Newton, was left to bleed out on the floor, while shocked passengers looked on or tried, in futility, to help.

He was released from prison in 2020 and racked up new charges in the year that followed. They add to the 50-plus charges he faced before killing Rosales.