A cast member on King of the Hill was gunned down by a homophobe at his old home, the voice actor’s husband said in a statement Monday.
Jonathan Joss, who voiced John Redcorn in the animated Fox sitcom and played Chief Ken Hotate in NBC’s Parks and Recreation, was shot and killed by a neighbor, the San Antonio Police Department confirmed Monday. He was 59.
The neighbor, Sigfredo Ceja Alvarez, 56, was taken into police custody shortly after and charged with murder. His bond has been set at $200,000.
Tristan Kern de Gonzales, Joss’ bereaved husband, posted a statement to his Facebook page Monday where he mourned the loss of his partner and alleged that he was “murdered by someone who could not stand the sight of two men loving each other.”
He said that he and his husband had gone back to their old home, which had been “burned down” earlier this year following “threats from people in the area,” to check their mail when the shooting occurred.
“My husband Jonathan Joss and I were involved in a shooting while checking the mail at the site of our former home,” Gonzales wrote on Facebook.
“That home was burned down after over two years of threats from people in the area who repeatedly told us they would set it on fire. We reported these threats to law enforcement multiple times and nothing was done.”
“Throughout that time we were harassed regularly by individuals who made it clear they did not accept our relationship. Much of the harassment was openly homophobic,” he continued.
Gonzales posted that as he and Joss were checking their mail, they discovered “the skull of one of our dogs and its harness placed in clear view.”
As the pair began reacting to what they had just seen, a man approached them and started “yelling violent homophobic slurs,” he said.
“He then raised a gun from his lap and fired,” Gonzales continued. “Jonathan and I had no weapons. 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. He was murdered by someone who could not stand the sight of two men loving each other.”
In a statement to the Daily Beast, the San Antonio Police Department said that their investigation “found no evidence whatsoever to indicate that the Mr. Joss’s murder was related to his sexual orientation.”
“We take such allegations very seriously and have thoroughly reviewed all available information. Should any new evidence come to light, we will charge the suspect accordingly,” they added.
First responders tried to resuscitate Joss, but he was pronounced dead at the scene, according to authorities.
Neighbors told CBS affiliate KENS-TV that Joss and Alvarez had a longstanding feud that would often result in arguments. They claimed however that their confrontations never turned violent until Sunday.
Prior to his death, Joss had already voiced his latest lines for an upcoming revival of King of the Hill slated to premiere on Disney+ and Hulu early August. His other acting credits include Tulsa King and The Magnificent Seven.
