Police identify Clearlake man killed after dispute

Police have identified a Clearlake man killed last week following some type of dispute.

It’s not clear whether Steven Galvan, 40, died Thursday as a direct result of the dispute, Clearlake Police Sgt. Nick Bennett said. No one has been arrested but there are persons of interest, he said.

The cause of Galvan’s death has not yet been released. Police said at the time it was unclear whether he’d been stabbed or shot and that an autopsy would be required to make that determination.

Galvan was known to law enforcement and had frequent contact with police, Bennett said. He declined to elaborate.

Galvan’s death is the fourth homicide this year, the most the city has reported in almost two decades, Bennett said.

“It’s more than usual,” he said. Three homicides is closer to average for the entire year and this year is just halfway over, Bennett said. While there have been four deaths, two homicides occurred at the same time.

Steven Jepsen, 54, and Juan Perez-Rodriguez, 38, were shot and killed during a marijuana-related incident in March. One man was arrested but there has been insufficient evidence to charge him for that crime. Two other suspects remain at large after fleeing to Mexico, Bennett said.

He declined to speculate on the cause of the uptick in homicides but said fluctuations are normal.