Credit: 20th Century Fox Actor Jonathan Joss, best known for roles on King of the Hill and Parks and Recreation, was killed in a shooting incident on Sunday. He was 59 years old.
According to AP News, police arrived at a home in south San Antonio, Texas, around 7:00 p.m. on June 1. They found Joss near the road and attempted life-saving measures until EMS arrived and pronounced him deceased.
Joss married his husband, Tristan Kern de Gonzales, on Valentine’s Day earlier this year. In a message to AP, de Gonzales said he and Joss previously faced “openly homophobic” harassment from neighbors. He was present at the scene and said the shooter yelled “violent homophobic slurs” before killing Joss.
“He was murdered by someone who could not stand the sight of two men loving each other,” de Gonzales told AP.
Joss and de Gonzales were collecting mail at the Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World (1998) actor’s San Antonio home when the incident occurred. In January, the house had been heavily damaged in a fire that claimed the lives of the couple’s three dogs. According to a GoFundMe set up after the fire, Joss lost all his belongings, including his vehicle.
“Jonathan and I had no weapons,” de Gonzales said. “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.”
56-year-old Sigfredo Alvarez Ceja was arrested and charged with murder in Joss’ death. Despite de Gonzales’ claims, San Antonio police claimed there was “no evidence whatsoever to indicate that Mr. Joss’s murder was related to his sexual orientation.” A spokesperson said they would continue investigating and pursue relevant charges if new evidence emerged.
Joss was raised in San Antonio, Texas, and grew to fame playing characters like John Redcorn in King of the Hill and Chief Ken Hotate in Parks and Recreation. Days before the murder, he appeared at a King of the Hill panel in Austin.
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A reboot of the 20th Century Fox series is set to premiere in August. Joss posted an Instagram video on Saturday expressing his excitement for the series’ return, adding that he’d already recorded voicework on four reboot episodes.
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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 days before his death.
Inside the Magic sends condolences to the loved ones and fans of Jonathan Joss in the wake of his tragic passing.