Jul 17, 2008

Suspect named in shooting

South City resident dies Tuesday after weekend robbery

By Kristina Peterson / Daily News Staff Writer

Palo Alto police on Wednesday turned to the public for help in finding a 22-year-old Gilroy resident they believe is responsible for last weekend's homicide near City Hall.

During a press conference at City Hall, authorities identified the suspect as Otto Emil Koloto. He is also known as Otto Emil Huhane, said Agent Dan Ryan of the Palo Alto Police Department.

Koloto is suspected of robbing and fatally shooting 27-year-old South San Francisco resident Phillip Lacy around 1:45 a.m. Sunday outside the City Hall parking garage. Lacy died Tuesday afternoon at Stanford Hospital when he was taken off life support.

Since Sunday afternoon, police have been combing the area for Koloto, who recently lived near Palo Alto "for some time," Ryan said.

On Sunday, police searched for Koloto at three residences in Gilroy, where his immediate family lives. Ryan said authorities believe he is staying with friends somewhere in the Bay Area.

Koloto is a Pacific Islander who stands roughly 5 feet 6 inches tall, weighs about 150 pounds and has black hair and brown eyes, police said. His hair often is braided or worn in "a bushy ponytail," according to a police statement.

Ryan said police connected Koloto with the homicide based on "evidence found at the scene," but would not elaborate. Officers have not yet determined whether Koloto had any connection to Lacy, or whether he is affiliated with a gang.

The shooting occurred while Lacy was waiting at the parking garage for two of his friends after a night out at downtown bars. According to police, a man approached Lacy, robbed him of jewelry and personal property, then shot him in the head.

Ryan said police are still trying to determine whether anything occurred after the robbery that prompted the suspect to shoot Lacy.

"We are still trying to piece that together," he said.

Koloto's criminal history includes eight arrests in the past four years, most in the San Jose area, according to court records.

Since 2006, Koloto was arrested twice on suspicion of driving with a suspended license, once on suspicion of drunken driving, once for suspicion of public drunkenness and once for suspicion of possession of a controlled substance.

Prior to Sunday's shooting, Koloto was wanted for two outstanding warrants, including one for a traffic violation, Ryan said. There is now an additional $2 million warrant for his arrest.

The city of Palo Alto has offered a $10,000 award to anyone who provides information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for Lacy's death.

Anyone with information about the crime is asked to call the Palo Alto Police Department's anonymous tip line at 650-329-2190.



E-mail Kristina Peterson at kpeterson@dailynewsgroup.com.