'Parks and Recreation' actor Jonathan Joss dies at 59 after fatal shooting
Jonathan Joss, known for his roles in "King of the Hill" and "Parks and Recreation," has died following a fatal shooting, according to the San Antonio Police Department. He was 59.
According to a police report, officers were dispatched to a location for a "shooting in progress" on Sunday night. When officers arrived, the victim, identified as Joss, was "found near the roadway of the location" and officers "attempted life saving measures until EMS arrived."
"EMS pronounced the victim deceased," the report stated.
Police say a suspect, Sigfredo Ceja Alvarez, is in custody. An investigation is ongoing.
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Joss, who was born Dec. 22, 1965, was an actor and producer.
He voiced John Redcorn on the hit animated television series "King of the Hill" from 1998 to 2009.
Joss also appeared on several television shows including "Walker, Texas Ranger," "ER," "Charmed," "Friday Night Lights" and "Parks and Recreation," in which he starred as Chief Ken Hotate.
He also lent his voice to several video games and played in a band, according to his Facebook page.
In an interview with "Bwaaa! A King of The Hill Podcast" over the weekend, prior to his death, Joss spoke about his acting career, which began with a role on the 1994 film "8 Seconds," followed by roles in the miniseries "Dead Man's Walk" and more.
"It was a nice little run there," Joss said. "And it continued to run while I was in Dallas, and I moved to LA because I wanted to be a big hot-shot actor, which didn't happen. But I was able to exist within a world that I wanted to exist in. I loved going to auditions."
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Joss added, "I've just been really lucky to have really decent parts. I've never done a bad thing when it comes to acting."
In January, Joss revealed that his home in South San Antonio had been destroyed by a fire, according to ABC San Antonio station KSAT-TV. The home had been built by his father in 1957. The fire also took the lives of his three dogs, he said.
Joss is survived by his husband Tristan Kern de Gonzales, with whom he exchanged vows on Valentine's Day, according to Facebook.
Kern de Gonzales shared a statement about Joss' death on the actor's Facebook page Monday, claiming that the incident was allegedly preceded by multiple threats and harassment from "individuals" in the area. Kern de Gonzales claimed he and Joss were "checking the mail at the site of our former home" when a man approached them and allegedly "started yelling violent homophobic slurs at us. He then raised a gun from his lap and fired."
Kern de Gonzales claimed he and Joss were unarmed at the time of the shooting and that when the man allegedly fired at them, Joss pushed Kern de Gonzales out of the way.
"He saved my life," Kern de Gonzales wrote. "Jonathan is my husband. He gave me more love in our time together than most people ever get. We were newlyweds. We picked Valentines Day. We were in the process of looking for a trailer and planning our future. He was murdered by someone who could not stand the sight of two men loving each other. I was with him when he passed. I told him how much he was loved."
He then thanked those who supported Joss and vowed to continue "protecting Jonathan's legacy and honoring the life we built together."
"If your concern is how someone coped with trauma or how loudly they speak when recounting injustice and being ignored by authorities then you never truly cared about my husband," he added. "Jonathan saved my life. I will carry that forward. I will protect what he built."
'Parks and Recreation' actor Jonathan Joss dies at 59 after fatal shooting originally appeared on goodmorningamerica.com
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