Arizona man suspected of killing near bar outside Petaluma

An Arizona man is suspected of fatally shooting another man who was found Sunday afternoon near a bar just outside Petaluma, investigators announced Monday.

According to the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office, Paul Elliot Coilton, 59, was arrested around 4:30 a.m. Monday in San Jose.

Coilton, a resident of Salome, Arizona, was arrested on suspicion of murder, carjacking and possession of a firearm and ammunition.

He is being held without bail in the Sonoma County Jail.

Sonoma County court records did not contain any official charges as of Monday evening, and it was not immediately clear when Coilton was expected to make his first court appearance.

Sonoma County sheriff’s deputies responded to the area of ​​Ernie’s Tin Bar in the 5000 block of Lakeville Highway around 4 p.m. Sunday, dispatchers said at the time.

Ernie’s co-owner Christine Nardone told The Press Democrat in an email Sunday evening that the shooting did not occur at the bar.

She added that the victim was found on Stage Gulch Road, which intersects Lakeville Highway, and that he “has no known connection to the bar.”

Ernie’s Tin Bar has been a staple in the area for over a century.

Details about the shooting, including the victim’s name, have not been released.

The sheriff’s office is asking anyone who may have information about the incident to call the agency at 707-565-2121.

Reach Staff Writer Colin Atagi at [email protected]. On Twitter @colin_atagi