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Written by: Elizabeth Larson

Published: 09 February 2025

LAKEPORT, Calif. — Friends, family, community members and local leaders came out on Saturday night to remember a young Lakeport man whose life was cut short by violence at the end of January.

Vicente Zeta Colacion was a friend, brother, grandson, nephew, boyfriend, uncle and much more to those who shared his story at the candlelight vigil at the gazebo in Library Park, about 50 yards away from where the 32-year-old was shot to death on the night of Friday, Jan. 31.

Along with those roles in life, one of his passions was poetry, an art form that many practiced in his memory, sharing their own work and his.

The nighttime event, with about 300 people in attendance, was illuminated by brightly burning candles cupped in the hands of those who knew him and those who didn’t but wanted to remember him. The gathering also served to honor his identity and secure his memory outside of the confines of being a murder victim.

Each of the speakers — whether friends or family members — helped paint a portrait of his life, helping to put the memory of him into sharper focus.

They described him variously as enthusiastic, energetic, fun, generous, sometimes maddening, big, clumsy, a traveler who shared pictures of his many travels, and a complicated human being who, most of all, was brimming with love, talent and whimsy.

The portrait that they painted was of a young man whose life looked a lot like the nighttime sky overhead — as plentiful with promise as the sky was richly hung with stars, and a life growing larger, more prominent, and more accomplished, like the waxing winter moon.

That a life of much given to poetry could be cut short so violently was part of the disbelief and heartache shared at the event. One of his friends, sitting near the gazebo, said it was hard to believe that such a thing could have happened to Colacion.

The investigation so far has revealed that Colacion’s murder was the result of an argument that had begun in the nearby Clearlake Club bar and escalated into a deadly shooting at the park.

Since then, Joshua Jacob Tovar, 33, of Lakeport has been arrested and charged with the killing. He was arraigned last week and is due to return to court to enter a plea on Feb. 11.

Another man, Parker John Coggins, 27, of Lakeport, was in an argument with Colacion at the bar and assaulted him before he was charged. Originally, Coggins was arrested and booked on a murder charge, but he has since been released from custody.

A criminal complaint against Coggins hasn’t yet been filed by the District Attorney’s Office pending further investigation, said District Attorney Susan Krones, who attended the Saturday night vigil.

Police and first responders were thanked for their efforts during the event. “I think we all know you did your best,” one of the speakers noted.

Along with Krones, in attendance at the vigil were several other local leaders, including supervisors Brad Rasmussen and Bruno Sabatier, City Manager Kevin Ingram and Police Chief Dale Stoebe, and several police staffers who worked the case, including Det. Juan Altamirano and Sgt. Andrew Welter.

Ingram said he was glad to see the turnout in Colacion’s honor.

Asked about what concerns community members have shared with him about the killing, Ingram said there were worries at first when the suspect hadn’t yet been arrested.

The city has a police officer dedicated to patrolling the downtown, a program which Ingram said they want to keep going.

He didn’t see the incident as an indication of a larger issue with crime downtown.

Colacion’s murder is the first within the city since October 2002, when Barbara La Forge was shot to death in her downtown frame shop, just blocks away from where Colacion died. Her murder remains unsolved.

‘It didn’t feel real’

One of the key speakers on Saturday night was Georgina Marie Guardado, a two-time Lake County poet laureate and friend of Colacion’s who traced the beginning of their friendship to a poetry event in 2017 at the Middletown Art Center.

She recounted following news of the shooting on Jan. 31, then finding out the next morning, a week to the day before the vigil, that Colacion was the victim.

Guardado, who said she usually visits Library Park for solace and comfort, said of Colacion’s death, “It didn’t feel real,” that is, until she was standing before the crowd that night.

In the week since Colacion’s death, she said she’s gone through all of the messages that she sent, played a playlist he made for her and cried.

“He was larger than life,” she said.

She added, “I don’t know if he ever realized the impact he had on others.”

Vicente Colacion’s younger sisters, Maya and Paloma Colacion, both spoke about their brother, remembering his passions, his complications, his love and dedication to others.

Maya Colacion said her daughter called him “Uncle Stinky.” He checked on his sister every day, was always glad to see her and trusted her.

“I just miss my brother a lot,” she said.

She remembered him fixing sandwiches for hungry people he had met in Library Park, a gesture that illustrated his concern for others.

“They took away my best friend and it’s not fair,” she said. “My family will never be the same.”

He could make those he loved mad, but his sister remembered that he always said he was sorry afterward. “I can’t wait to see him again someday.”

Family members who shared their memories said Colacion’s mother was too distraught to attend.

His grandmother, Brenda Pistek, said Colacion’s mother, her daughter, was “wailing like a wounded animal” in her grief.

Contemplating the idea of a life without her grandson, Pistek said, “I don’t know how to do this ... these are things that should never happen.”

His aunt recalled her sister, Colacion’s mother, as saying, “Vicente tells the truth,” and that he flew away “in a murder of crows.”

His sister, Paloma Colacion, said he loved people, that he didn’t have a hierarchical view of love that limited him to just his family. She said losing him was like losing a part of herself.

“He was love,” she said.

A cousin of his is now putting together a book of his poetry. Colacion was known to write little poems and send them to people, and his family is asking them to reach out and share them for the book.

She read from one of his poems in which he wrote,

“I will whisper,
“I love you,
“I love you,
“I love you.”

Paloma Colacion in turn thanked people for loving her brother.

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.