Jonathan Joss shooting: Police reverse claim of 'no evidence' of hate crime
San Antonio police are backing off their original claim that there is "no evidence" of a hate crime in the shooting death of Jonathan Joss, at least for now.
In a press conference on June 5, San Antonio Police Chief William McManus said that the department's earlier statement saying there was "no evidence" Joss' murder was "related to his sexual orientation" was "way premature" and "before we had any real information."
McManus said San Antonio homicide detectives and San Antonio Fire Department arson investigators are actively investigating the murder of Joss, best known as the voice actor of John Redcorn on "King of the Hill," as well as a January fire that burned down Joss and husband Tristan Kern de Gonzales' home, which could be related.
The police chief also noted a high volume of calls between Joss and neighbors, amounting to nearly 70 calls to and from Joss' phone, "involving various neighborhood-type disturbances."
San Antonio police confirmed to Paste BN that officers were dispatched to the location of a shooting in progress on June 1, and found Joss, 59, near a roadway upon arrival. The officers "attempted life saving measures" until EMS arrived and pronounced him dead.
A suspect, 56-year-old Sigfredo Alvarez Ceja, was detained and booked for murder, police said.
In a post on Facebook, Joss' husband, Tristan Kern de Gonzales, said that the shooting occurred while they were checking the mail at the site of their former home. The home had previously burned down "after over two years of threats from people in the area who repeatedly told us they would set it on fire," de Gonzales alleged.
McManus acknowledged the anxiety members of San Antonio's LGBTQ+ community are feeling in the aftermath of Joss' death and police's immediate dismissal of the possibility that the murder was a hate crime, saying that they "shouldn't have done it."
McManus clarified that in the state of Texas, hate crimes are not filed as separate charges but can be used to increase sentencing, such as charges elevated from a second-degree to a first-degree felony.
In addition to his role on "King of the Hill," Joss also played Ken Hotate on the NBC sitcom "Parks and Recreation," starring opposite Amy Poehler.
Contributing: Brendan Morrow