- Elizabeth Larson
- Posted On
Witness recounts shooting that took life of poet
The shooting on the night of Friday, Jan. 31, took the life of 32-year-old Vicente Zeta Colacion of Lakeport.
Joshua Jacob Tovar, 33, has been charged with the killing. Authorities are investigating the role of a second man, Parker John Coggins, 27, also of Lakeport, who could face charges in the case.
Lake County News spoke with a witness to Colacion’s killing. He asked that his name not be used due to fear of retaliation.
Separately, Lake County News confirmed with Lakeport Police Chief Dale Stoebe that the man was indeed a witness to the crime.
The witness said he and Colacion were at the Clearlake Club on Main Street on the night of the shooting. He said he and Colacion, a poet, were reciting poetry back and forth to each other.
They had gone outside, but Colacion decided to go back into the bar. It was then that there was a dispute between Colacion and Coggins, who came out of the bar, followed by Colacion.
Colacion, followed by his friend, went to Library Park where Coggins and two other men, one of them Tovar, were standing by a large tree by the seawall.
The witness said he followed Colacion as he approached the three men, one of whom pulled out a gun and threatened to shoot. As soon as he did that, Colacion’s friend said he put up his hands and backed away.
Before Colacion could back away, Coggins attacked him and hit him with a bluetooth speaker. The witness said Colacion, in turn, knocked Coggins to the ground.
A man believed to be Tovar then pulled a gun and shot Colacion, the witness said. There were a total of three shots.
“It didn’t seem to stop them. They kept fighting,” Colacion’s friend said.
He said Colacion and Coggins continued to fight, with Coggins knocked to the ground.
“There was no drug deal involved. There was no knife involved. There was no gang members involved. It was just a matter of a simple physical dispute that could have been handled,” Colacion’s friend explained.
After the fight, the suspects walked northbound. “I dropped to my knees and grabbed Vicente,” Colacion’s friend said.
He said Colacion had been shot twice but he only saw one wound, and it caused Colacion to suffer massive bleeding.
The witness said he placed Colacion on his side so he could breathe while holding pressure on his wound and calling 911.
“He passed before the police got here,” the witness said.
Tovar, who is being represented by the Public Defender’s Office, will return to court on March 26 for his preliminary hearing.
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