Jonathan Joss's Husband Has Said The Man Who Shot Jonathan Was 'Laughing' And Shouting 'Homophobic Slurs' As He Died

Yahoo

12 hours ago

This article includes graphic descriptions of gun violence that some readers may find distressing.
On Monday, the sad news broke that actor Jonathan Joss had died at age 59 years old after he was shot and killed in what his husband, Tristan Kern de Gonzales, alleged was an anti-gay hate crime on Sunday, June 1.
People previously reported that the couple's neighbor Sigfredo Ceja Alvarez, 56, confessed to shooting Jonathan as he was detained and has been charged with first-degree murder. He was released from police custody under full house arrest on a $200,000 bond on June 2.
Later that same day, Tristan posted a statement to Jonathan's official Facebook page where he alleged that Jonathan had been killed because of his sexuality. He added that he and Jonathan had been 'harassed regularly' by their neighbors in San Antonio, Texas, for being a gay couple, and that their home had recently burned down after repeated threats.
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Tristan, 32, said that the shooting occurred when he and Jonathan returned to the remains of their home to check for mail and became distressed when they found their dog's skull at the site, which had been 'placed in clear view.'
'My husband Jonathan Joss and I were involved in a shooting while checking the mail at the site of our former home. 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,' the statement began.
'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,' Tristan went on. 'When we returned to the site to check our mail we discovered the skull of one of our dogs and its harness placed in clear view. This caused both of us severe emotional distress. We began yelling and crying in response to the pain of what we saw.'
'While we were doing this a man approached us. He started yelling violent homophobic slurs at us. He then raised a gun from his lap and fired,' he alleged. '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.'
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And Tristan has bravely shared some more details from his husband's death in a devastating new interview with People, where he alleged that the gunman was 'laughing' at them as Jonathan died. He also opened up about immediately knowing that 'there was no hope of saving' Jonathan due to the severe damage caused by the 'really, really close range' shot to his head.
'He was struggling so hard, trying to stay alive,' Tristan recalled. 'I held my husband's face together as best I could, and I told him how much I loved him, and that none of this was his fault. I told him he needed to cross over easy. He didn't need to keep fighting.'
'I told him that no matter what, and in some way, shape, or form, we'll always be together, and he'll always be my husband,' Tristan continued.
He also claimed that the alleged gunman 'still had the gun pointed over' him while his husband lay dying, adding: 'He was laughing. He mocked me for telling my husband that I loved him and used the same homophobic slurs.'
Tristan told the publication that he finds it hurtful 'whenever people try to say that it wasn't a hate crime,' which is no doubt a reference to the San Antonio Police Department saying that they had 'found no evidence to indicate that Mr. Joss's murder was related to his sexual orientation' just one day after his murder.
On Thursday, SAPD police chief William McManus admitted that he regretted making this statement, and said that it was 'way too soon' for a hate crime to be ruled out.
'That was way, way, way, premature,' he said. 'We shouldn't have done it. It was way too soon before we had any real information. And I will own that… I want to apologize to the LGBTQ+ community for the tragic loss of Mr. Joss, which has been heavily felt."
'Our homicide detectives are continuing to pursue every lead in this case to ensure that we understand the full picture of what led up to the senseless murder of Mr. Joss,' McManus added during a press conference.
McManus also addressed Tristan's claims that their home was burnt down in an anti-gay hate crime, saying that they were 'working closely' with the fire department's arson investigators, and that 'the investigation is still active.'
He went on to confirm that law enforcement had received 'approximately 70 calls over the past two years' from both Jonathan and his neighbors over 'neighborhood-type disturbances.'
If you or someone you know has experienced anti-LGBTQ violence or harassment, you can contact the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs hotline at 1-212-714-1141.
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