LAKEPORT, Calif. — Police have arrested a Lakeport man who they said is responsible for a fatal Friday night shooting in Library Park that is believed to have been the result of a fight at a city bar.

The Lakeport Police Department said Joshua Jacob Tovar, 33, was arrested at 7:45 a.m. Sunday for the murder of Vicente Colacion, 32, also of Lakeport.

Colacion was born in San Francisco, had worked at a variety of local jobs and also was a writer and visual artist, according to social media pages and memorial posts by his friends.

He was found fatally shot near the seawall at Library Park shortly before 9:30 p.m. on Friday, as Lake County News has reported.

In a Sunday afternoon statement on Tovar’s arrest, the police department said investigators believe the fatal encounter stemmed from an earlier physical altercation between Colacion and Parker John Coggins, 27, of Lakeport, at a downtown “drinking establishment.”

Immediately after the shooting, police officers who responded to the scene had said over the air that they were looking for Coggins. Police and deputies searched the downtown for him while investigators cordoned off the crime scene at Library Park.

Coggins was taken into custody at midnight on Saturday and booked into the Lake County Jail several hours later. His booking sheet said he was being held for murder.

Police said Coggins initially was arrested on a homicide warrant on Saturday. However, on Saturday afternoon, Police Chief Dale Stoebe told Lake County News that Coggins was not being held for the killing and that they were still actively seeking the individual directly responsible for the shooting.

On Sunday, police said that, following further investigation, Coggins’ charges have been amended to assault with a deadly weapon for what they believe was his role in the violence at Library Park before Colacion was ultimately shot and killed.

The investigation eventually led to Tovar being identified as the suspect. Lakeport Police said its officers obtained a Ramey arrest warrant for Tovar. Such warrants are used in California to arrest subjects quickly, before the District Attorney’s Office has filed formal charges.

On Sunday afternoon, Tovar’s booking sheet was posted on the Lake County Sheriff’s Office website, but the murder charge was not reflected. Instead, it showed several felony and misdemeanor drug charges, with a bail of $23,000.

A search of Lake County Superior Court records shows an individual with the name Joshua Jacob Tovar having numerous felony and misdemeanor cases, a 2016 weapons case and a 2018 prosecution for assault on a peace officer, both of which led to convictions and prison terms.

On Sunday afternoon following Lakeport Police’s report on Tovar’s arrest, Coggins’ booking sheet continued to show him as being held for murder, with a no-bail hold.

Lake County Superior Court records appear to show that Coggins has had several felony convictions, including one for a felony driving under the influence case in 2016.

Other convictions that appear to be for the same individual include felony DUI with three priors, and misdemeanors of driving on a suspended license, tampering with an interlock device and possession of an open container.

The Lakeport Police Department has worked the case with the assistance of the Clearlake Police Department, Lake County Sheriff’s Office and California Highway Patrol. In its report on Tovar’s arrest, Lakeport Police thanked those agencies for their “invaluable support.”

“Their collaboration played a crucial role in bringing this case to resolution,” the Lakeport Police Department said.

The killing in Lakeport’s downtown has stirred significant concern in a community that has known few homicide cases over the years. The most well-known remains that of Barbara La Forge, killed in her downtown frame shop in October 2002. That case remains unresolved.

Anyone with information regarding Colacion’s murder is asked to contact Det. Juan Altamirano at 707-263-5491, Extension 102, e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or message the Lakeport Police Department on Facebook.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, and on Bluesky, @erlarson.bsky.social. Find Lake County News on the following platforms: Facebook, @LakeCoNews; X, @LakeCoNews; Threads, @lakeconews, and on Bluesky, @lakeconews.bsky.social.