‘He was a good person’: Vigil held for slain CATS bus driver Ethan Rivera

CHARLOTTE — A vigil was held Thursday night for a CATS bus driver who was shot and killed during a road rage incident in uptown.

Family, friends, co-workers and members of the community celebrated the life of Ethan Rivera at Camp Green Park as Charlotte-Mecklenburg police continue the hunt for the shooter.

Officers responded to the shooting on Feb. 11 on West Trade Street near South Graham Street, where they found a CATS bus that had gone off the road. Inside, they found 41-year-old Rivera, who had been shot. He died Saturday from his injuries, police said.

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“He was a good person inside and out,” his mother, Sylvia Rivera, said.

She said her son deserved better than this.

“I hope and pray they catch (the suspect), and he pays for what he did because he took a lot,” Rivera said.

Officials with CATS is asking the community to observe a moment of silence at noon Friday in Rivera’s honor. The transit system will pause its operations for two minutes at that time.

Riders traveling around noon should plan extra time for their commute.

(Watch coverage of the crime in the video below)

Police look for suspect accused of shooting, killing CATS bus driver in uptown Charlotte

During a news conference Tuesday, police shared photos of the suspect’s vehicle. They said they’re looking for a 2003 to 2005 black Honda Pilot with running boards. Investigators said the backup lights on that SUV model are large squares on the sides of the license plate.

Police searching for suspect accused of fatally shooting CATS bus driver during road rage incident (WSOC)

“Any piece of information will help to solve this tragic crime,” said CMPD Capt. Joel McNelly.

No arrests have been made at this point.

Crime technology could help officers find the suspect

The images released Tuesday could lead to an important break in the case.

“Charlotte has a very sophisticated real-time crime center than includes a camera infrastructure and it’s a valuable part of their law enforcement process at this point,” said Joe Kuhns, professor of criminal justice at UNC Charlotte.

The infrastructure includes a plethora of cameras in uptown Charlotte and license plate readers that are stationed in various parts of the city. The readers could track or retrace some of the route the getaway car used. The technology does have its limitations.

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“We can’t capture everybody,” Kuhns said. “We don’t have the ability to read everything down to a thumbnail or something like that. And license plates, sometimes they are dirty. Sometimes they are falling off. Sometimes they are just in a shadowed area.”

Investigators have spent days trying to enhance the tag on the car.

“We have not yet identified the license plate,” McNelly said. “As soon as we do that, if we’re able to do that, that license plate will be put out to the public immediately.”

(WATCH BELOW: CATS bus driver dies day after being shot in uptown, police say)