SAN ANTONIO, Texas – Pride San Antonio and the San Antonio Police Department held a community forum Thursday evening following the murder of actor Jonathan Joss.
Joss, known for his roles as John Redcorn in “King of the Hill” and Chief Ken Hotate in “Parks and Recreation,” was shot and killed outside his home in San Antonio on Sunday.
Community forum
What they’re saying:
The forum comes after the man suspected of killing Joss was released on bond the day after the shooting and after San Antonio police walked back a statement they posted on social media refuting “online claims” of Joss’s murder being related to his sexual orientation.
San Antonio police chief William McManus said during the forum that his department is working with the San Antonio Fire Department’s arson investigators to look into what happened to Joss’s home earlier this year and previous calls concerning Joss and his neighbors.
The majority of the forum was McManus speaking with audience members, hearing their stories and concerns, including a woman speaking about her brother’s murder.
Watch the full forum below:
Jonathan Joss murder suspect released on bond
(Photo by Bexar County Sheriff’s Office via Getty Images)
What we know:
Bexar County Court records show that Sigfredo Ceja Alvarez, 56, posted $200,000 bond on Monday night, the day after the deadly shooting.
Ceja Alvarez was ordered to full house arrest and his pre-trial supervision began on Tuesday afternoon, records show.
Under the conditions of his bond, Ceja Alvarez is subject to random drug testing, is not allowed to possess any firearms or make contact with Joss’ family.
A pre-trial hearing is set for August 19.
Jonathan Joss shooting
What we know:
Joss, 59, was shot and killed in south San Antonio on Sunday night.
Police arrested Ceja Alvarez in connection with the crime. He is charged with murder.
TMZ reported Joss and Ceja Alvarez were neighbors and had been in disputes in the past.
On Monday, Joss’ husband posted online that the suspect yelled “violent homophobic slurs” prior to the shooting. Joss and de Gonzales had been married since February, according to social media posts.
Jonathan Joss’ husband on shooting
What they’re saying:
The husband of slain “King of the Hill” voice actor Jonathan Joss spoke out again on social media on Tuesday night.
Tristan Kern de Gonzales spoke at length about his relationship with Joss and Joss’s love of his fans and work, and gave his account of Joss’s last moments.
His comments come after San Antonio police made a statement on social media, saying its investigation has so far found “no evidence” that Joss’s murder was related to his sexual orientation.
READ MORE: Jonathan Joss shooting: Co-stars remember ‘King of the Hill’, ‘Parks and Rec’ actor
De Gonzales detailed his husband’s last moments, including holding him as he died and telling him that he loved him.
De Gonzales also said that Joss had been harassed not just for his sexual orientation, but also for his Native American heritage. He said the couple experienced harassment from neighbors, including threats to burn down their house and homophobic slurs.
He also criticized San Antonio police at points during the live.
San Antonio Police address Jonathan Joss shooting
Dig deeper:
Claims by Joss’ husband were refuted by the San Antonio Police Department in a statement on social media Monday night.
“Despite online claims of this being a hate crime, currently the investigation has found no evidence to indicate that the [sic] Mr. Joss’s murder was related to his sexual orientation. SAPD investigators handle these allegations very seriously and have thoroughly reviewed all available information,” wrote the department in a post.
The department says if any new evidence comes out, the suspect will be charged accordingly.
However, in a press conference on Thursday morning, Chief McManus called that statement “way premature.”
“We issued a statement the day after Jonathan Joss’s murder that was way, way, way premature,” McManus said. “Shouldn’t’ve done it. It was way too soon before we had any real information, and I will own that and simply say again that we shouldn’t have done that. It was way too early in the process for any statement of that nature be issued.”
McManus went on to address calls for this to be investigated and charged as a hate crime, saying that in Texas, hate crimes are not separate charges, but rather addressed as penalty enhancements.
Who was Jonathan Joss?
The backstory:
In addition to playing John Redcorn for multiple seasons on “King of the Hill”, Joss also made appearances in several other shows.
He played Chief Ken Hotate in “Parks and Recreation” and had other small roles in “Ray Donovan,” “Walker, Texas Ranger” and “Tulsa King.”
Joss also appeared in the films “True Grit,” “The Magnificent Seven” and “The Forever Purge.”
The Source: Information in this report comes from Bexar County court records, Jonathan Joss’s husband Tristan Kern de Gonzales, the San Antonio Police Department and previous reporting.
