Nick Offerman has revealed how his Parks and Recreation castmates are helping each other deal with the violent death of co-star Jonathan Joss.
Joss played Chief Ken Hotate in the NBC comedy alongside Offerman, Chris Pratt, Amy Poehler, Aubrey Plaza, Rashida Jones, Adam Scott, and others. The 59-year-old was gunned on Sunday down by a neighbor, Sigfredo Ceja Alvarez, in San Antonio, Texas.
Tristan Kern de Gonzales, Joss’s bereaved husband, posted a statement to his Facebook page on Monday where he alleged that Joss was “murdered by someone who could not stand the sight of two men loving each other.”
Offerman, who played Ron Swanson on Parks and Recreation, told People the tragedy had united the cast of the show that ran for seven seasons, including a reunion episode in 2020.
“The cast has been texting together about it all day and we’re just heartbroken,” Offerman said. “Jonathan was such a sweet guy and we loved having him as our Chief Ken Hotate. A terrible tragedy.”
Joss appeared on Parks and Recreation for five years, and was the voice of John Redcorn in animated Fox hit King of the Hill.
Gonzales said that he and Joss had gone back to their home on Sunday to collect mail, only to find “the skull of one of our dogs and its harness placed in clear view”.
The distressed couple were “yelling and crying” after seeing the remains when Gonzales said a man allegedly approached them, shouted homophobic abuse, and shot Jess.
Alvarez, 56, was taken into police custody shortly after the shooting and charged with murder. His bond has been set at $200,000.
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.
Gonzales and Joss were married on Valentine’s Day this year. Gonzales said Joss gave him “more love in our time together than most people ever get.”
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