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There’s no denying, the past year has been busy in the local news world.
In 2014 the Central Okanagan experienced a civic election, hundreds of people were displaced by wildfires and a large number of development projects were announced.
As we look ahead to the New Year, KelownaNow is counting down the top 12 ‘Newsmakers of the Year’ as chosen by our journalists who will revisit and recap the biggest news stories that took place in the Central Okanagan this year.
(Photo Credit: KelownaNow)
The city of Kelowna was shocked in October when a man was murdered in a seemingly random attack on a Kelowna city bus. This “big city crime” prompted discussion all over Kelowna about bus safety and a loss of Kelowna's innocence, making it our 8th newsmaker of the year.
On the evening of Thursday, October 30th, police responded to an assault when a bus on Baron Road stopped at Underhill Street. A suspect had made a “shoving motion” with a weapon towards 55-year-old Caesar Rosales as he was leaving the bus. Rosales was seriously injured, and though other passengers on the bus gave first aid, he tragically died at the scene.
Supt. Romanchuk speaking to media about the Kelowna city bus homicide. (Photo Credit: KelownaNow)
Police reported the next day that they had leads on a suspect's location, who they said had previous dealings with police. According to Superintendent Nick Romanchuk, the homicide appeared to be a random incident. “We know that crimes of this nature are always disturbing to the community,” said Supt Romanchuk. “I would like assure the public that all resources needed for the investigation are currently in place and every effort is being made to identify and apprehend the suspect as soon as possible.”
On Friday evening, less than 24 hours after the initial event, a suspect had been taken into custody. On November 1st, 23-year-old Tyler Jack Newton was charged with second degree murder. Newton has other charges dating back to 2008, which include theft of a motor vehicle, possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking, and theft over $5,000.
Tyler Jack Newton. (Photo Credit: Facebook)
Rosales was a long-time employee of Kelowna Flightcraft, and had been working for two years as a Business Systems Analyst. He was originally from the Philippines and was a well-known user of public transportation.
Rosales “brought tremendous skills and training from his previous work in both Vancouver and the Philippines,” said Flightcraft in a statement. “Over the last two years he became a part of the Flightcraft family, working with 100’s of our employees across the organization, participating in social club activities, contributing on several large projects, and developing a strong circle of friends and colleagues.”
Caesar Rosales. (Photo Credit: YouTube)
On November 8, city bus drivers pulled over and observed a moment of silence for Rosales to help transit workers get some closure. “The drivers have been asking what we can do as a group to show our respect,” said Les Milton, Amalgamated Transit Unit President. “He was a friend to some. It’s really hit us hard and we need to do something for closure and as a sign of respect.” The driver who was driving that night was off work for some time to deal with the incident.
Rosales left behind a son in Greater Vancouver, a brother in the Philippines, and numerous other friends and family.
Newton will appear again in court on January 20th to consult counsel.
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