Jonathan Joss, known for his roles in King of the Hill and Parks and Recreation, was killed in a shooting incident on Sunday, June 1. Joss was 59 years old.
According to AP News, authorities arrived at a home in south San Antonio, Texas, around 7:00 p.m. on Sunday, where they found Joss near the road. Despite their efforts to perform life-saving measures, paramedics arrived shortly after and pronounced him deceased.
Joss married his husband, Tristan Kern de Gonzales, on Valentine’s Day earlier this year. In a statement to AP, de Gonzales shared the couple’s struggles with “openly homophobic” harassment from neighbors, revealing that he was present at the scene when the attack occurred. De Gonzales said the shooter yelled “violent homophobic slurs” before taking Joss’s life.
“He was murdered by someone who could not stand the sight of two men loving each other,” de Gonzales said.
The couple was collecting mail at Joss’ San Antonio home when the attack occurred. Tragically, the house had been severely damaged in a fire that claimed the lives of the couple’s three dogs. A GoFundMe set up after the January fire revealed that Joss had lost all his belongings, including his vehicle.
“Jonathan and I had no weapons,” de Gonzales recalled. “We were not threatening anyone. We were grieving. We were standing side by side. When the man fired, Jonathan pushed me out of the way. He saved my life.”
The suspected shooter, 56-year-old Sigfredo Alvarez Ceja, was arrested and charged with murder. However, despite de Gonzales’ claims, San Antonio police stated that they found “no evidence whatsoever to indicate that Mr. Joss’s murder was related to his sexual orientation.” A spokesperson for the police department assured the public that they would continue investigating the case and pursue further charges if new evidence emerged.
Joss, originally from San Antonio, Texas, was known for his role as John Redcorn on King of the Hill and as Chief Ken Hotate in Parks and Recreation. He also appeared in Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World (1998). Just days before the incident, he had appeared at a King of the Hill panel in Austin:
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The new King of the Hill reboot is scheduled to premiere in August. Just a day before his death, Joss posted an Instagram video expressing his enthusiasm for the show’s return, revealing that he had already recorded voicework for four episodes of the reboot.
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“The fans get to revisit King of the Hill again, which I think is an amazing thing because it’s a great show,” Joss said.
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