San Antonio police walk back statement dismissing possible hate crime in Jonathan Joss' shooting death
San Antonio police apologized Thursday for a "premature" statement declaring there was no evidence of a hate crime in the death of Jonathan Joss.
Joss, a voice actor known for playing John Redcorn in "King of the Hill," was fatally shot Sunday outside his San Antonio home. His neighbor, 56-year-old Sigfredo Alvarez Ceja, was arrested and booked on a murder charge, police said.
San Antonio Police said in a statement the following day that "despite online claims of this being a hate crime, currently the investigation has found no evidence to indicate that Mr. Joss's murder was related to his sexual orientation."
That statement sparked outrage and was rebutted by Joss' husband, Tristan Kern de Gonzales, who believes his husband was killed for his sexual orientation.
Chief William P. McManus retracted the police statement on Thursday.
"Shouldn't have done it. [It] was way too soon before we had real information, and I will own that," McManus said. 'It was way too early in the process for any statement of that nature to be issued.'
"We understand that many in the LGBTQ+ community are feeling anxious and concerned. A lot of it has to do with that premature statement that we released, and again, I own that. Shouldn't have done it," he continued.
McManus clarified that in Texas, hate crimes are not separate charges and are addressed as sentencing enhancements.
"We don't charge with hate crimes. We gather the facts and we give those facts to the district attorney's office, and that hate crime designation is determined at sentencing, but we don't charge hate crime," he said.
McManus also said there were concerns surrounding the history Joss had in the neighborhood leading up to the shooting.
A review of police records and interviews with neighbors and Kern de Gonzalez showed the couple had issues with neighbors. Kern De Gonzalez said many neighbors would hurl anti-gay slurs at them and complain about their being 'loud.'
McManus said Thursday that over the past two years, there have been 70 calls involving neighborhood-type disturbances. Sometimes, Joss is the caller, and other times, the neighbors are calling on him.
The police's mental health unit had "extensive engagements with Mr. Joss, making repeated efforts to remediate conflicts and connect him with services he may have needed," the police chief said.
The investigation is ongoing.
Ceja was released on $200,000 bond Monday and was ordered to not purchase or possess any firearms and was issued a no contact order. He is awaiting indictment.
A court-appointed attorney for Ceja did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The shooting stirred uproar online and among advocates.
One X user called out the police department for initially claiming there was no evidence of a hate crime, saying, 'Meanwhile homophobic slurs were yelled, years of harassment were reported & ignored, a house was burned down…'
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The Guardian
7 hours ago
- The Guardian
Police now say they are investigating shooting of actor Jonathan Joss as possible hate crime
Investigators are looking into whether the sexual orientation of King of the Hill voice actor Jonathan Joss played a role in his shooting death in Texas, authorities said Thursday, walking back a previous statement about the potential motive. Joss' husband has claimed the person who killed the actor yelled 'violent homophobic slurs' before opening fire outside his home in San Antonio on Sunday night. A day after the shooting, San Antonio police issued a statement saying they had found 'no evidence whatsoever to indicate that Mr Joss' murder was related to his sexual orientation'. But during a news conference on Thursday William McManus, the San Antonio police chief, said the statement was 'premature' and that whether Joss' sexual orientation played a role in the shooting 'is part of the investigation'. 'I will own that and simply say again that we simply shouldn't have done that. It was way too early in the process for any statement of that nature to be issued,' McManus said. The police chief said many in the LGBTQ+ community 'are feeling anxious and concerned' after Joss' shooting and that 'a lot of it has to do with that premature statement'. 'The loss of Jonathan Joss was tragic, most heavily felt by the LGBTQ+ community,' McManus said. Texas does not have separate hate crimes charges. But if homophobia is found to have been a motive in the shooting, that could result in a harsher sentence at trial under the state's hate crimes law. 'We gather the facts, and we give those facts to the district attorney's office. And then that hate crime designation is determined at sentencing,' McManus said. The actor's home burned down in January. Joss' husband, Tristan Kern de Gonzales, has said that they were checking mail there Sunday when a man approached them, pulled out a gun and opened fire. In a statement, de Gonzales said he and Joss had previously faced harassment, much of it 'openly homophobic'. Sigfredo Ceja Alvarez, who is a neighbor of Joss, is charged with murder in the shooting. Ceja Alvarez has been released on a $200,000 bond. Ceja Alvarez's attorney, Alfonso Otero, did not immediately return an email seeking comment Thursday. McManus said police had been called to Joss' home and his neighborhood about 70 times over the past two years related to 'neighborhood type disturbances'. 'Sometimes (Joss) was the caller. Other times, the neighbors were calling on him,' McManus said. The San Antonio police department's mental health unit as well as a unit known as SAFFE that works with residents to help prevent crime 'had extensive engagements with Mr Joss, making repeated efforts to mediate conflicts and connect him with services that he may have needed', McManus said. The January fire at Joss' home is still being reviewed by arson investigators, McManus said. Joss lost all his belongings in the blaze and his three dogs were killed. Actors who worked with Joss, along with friends and fans have honored Joss' memory with tributes. 'His voice will be missed at King of the Hill, and we extend our deepest condolences to Jonathan's friends and family,' the show's creators and producers – Mike Judge, Greg Daniels and Saladin Patterson – said in a statement on the animated series' Instagram page.
NBC News
20 hours ago
- NBC News
San Antonio police walk back statement dismissing possible hate crime in Jonathan Joss' shooting death
San Antonio police apologized Thursday for a "premature" statement declaring there was no evidence of a hate crime in the death of Jonathan Joss. Joss, a voice actor known for playing John Redcorn in "King of the Hill," was fatally shot Sunday outside his San Antonio home. His neighbor, 56-year-old Sigfredo Alvarez Ceja, was arrested and booked on a murder charge, police said. San Antonio Police said in a statement the following day that "despite online claims of this being a hate crime, currently the investigation has found no evidence to indicate that Mr. Joss's murder was related to his sexual orientation." That statement sparked outrage and was rebutted by Joss' husband, Tristan Kern de Gonzales, who believes his husband was killed for his sexual orientation. Chief William P. McManus retracted the police statement on Thursday. "Shouldn't have done it. [It] was way too soon before we had real information, and I will own that," McManus said. 'It was way too early in the process for any statement of that nature to be issued.' "We understand that many in the LGBTQ+ community are feeling anxious and concerned. A lot of it has to do with that premature statement that we released, and again, I own that. Shouldn't have done it," he continued. McManus clarified that in Texas, hate crimes are not separate charges and are addressed as sentencing enhancements. "We don't charge with hate crimes. We gather the facts and we give those facts to the district attorney's office, and that hate crime designation is determined at sentencing, but we don't charge hate crime," he said. McManus also said there were concerns surrounding the history Joss had in the neighborhood leading up to the shooting. A review of police records and interviews with neighbors and Kern de Gonzalez showed the couple had issues with neighbors. Kern De Gonzalez said many neighbors would hurl anti-gay slurs at them and complain about their being 'loud.' McManus said Thursday that over the past two years, there have been 70 calls involving neighborhood-type disturbances. Sometimes, Joss is the caller, and other times, the neighbors are calling on him. The police's mental health unit had "extensive engagements with Mr. Joss, making repeated efforts to remediate conflicts and connect him with services he may have needed," the police chief said. The investigation is ongoing. Ceja was released on $200,000 bond Monday and was ordered to not purchase or possess any firearms and was issued a no contact order. He is awaiting indictment. A court-appointed attorney for Ceja did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The shooting stirred uproar online and among advocates. One X user called out the police department for initially claiming there was no evidence of a hate crime, saying, 'Meanwhile homophobic slurs were yelled, years of harassment were reported & ignored, a house was burned down…'
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Daily Mail
King of the Hill creators SLAMMED over Jonathan Joss tribute days after his death at 59
The creators of King of the Hill have been slammed after they paid tribute to their late cast member Jonathan Joss following his tragic death at age 59. Joss, 59, was shot and killed in San Antonio, Texas, on Sunday after a reported altercation with his neighbor Sigfredo Alvarez Ceja outside his home. On Tuesday, creators Mike Judge, Greg Daniels, and King of the Hill revival showrunner Saladin K. Patterson remembered the actor with a heartfelt post on Instagram. 'Rest in peace, Jonathan Joss,' the post began. '"Jonathan brought King of the Hill's 'John Redcorn' to life for over a dozen seasons, including in the upcoming revival. His voice will be missed at King of the Hill, and we extend our deepest condolences to Jonathan's friends and family." – Mike Judge, Greg Daniels and Saladin Patterson.' The post included an image of Joss' King of the Hill character, John Redcorn, along with a 2021 black-and-white photograph of the late actor. However, the comments sections was inundated with messages from Instagram users slamming the creators over their response to Joss' uninvited appearance at the King of the Hill reboot ATX TV Festival panel. has contacted representatives for Judge, Daniels, and Patterson for comment. Joss was not invited to join the cast panel - which occurred two days before his death - but still attended as an audience member and interrupted the event as he took to the microphone and revealed his house had been burnt down because of his sexuality. Numerous fans said they would not be tuning in to watch the new reboot in light of the alleged incident. 'I will not be watching the reboot until you guys address the dismissals of him,' one posted. 'honestly its my fav show.' 'You people should be ashamed. I love the show, but I won't be watching the revival. Why was he not invited to the panel? Why were his cries for help not taking seriously?' 'I'm not watching the new season because it's very clear that you people do not care,' one posted. 'Rest in power Jonathan,' one wrote. 'We won't be watching the reboot.' 'I love the show but this looks hella hypocritical! We saw the video of the panel and i just feel so beyond disappointed. May he rest in power!' another wrote. 'Jonathan pleaded for help and all of you dismissed him. Now you're trying to save face,' another posted. 'This is weak sauce, guys. he deserves more than 3 slides, one of which is the photo they're using to report on his death. shame on you. this is lazy and disrespectful,' another posted. Just two days before his death, Joss made headlines for crashing a King of the Hill panel at the ATV TV Festival in Austin, Texas, with Variety revealing new details about his uninvited appearance. The ATX panel was meant to celebrate the show's new reboot, debuting August 4 on Hulu, with creators Mike Judge (who voices Hank Hill and Boomhauer) and Greg Daniels joined by three voice actors - Pamela Adlon (Bobby Hill), Toby Huss (Dale Gribble) and Lauren Tom (Connie). Variety's Michael Schneider moderated the panel, revealing it was supposed to be a 'small gathering,' which is why Joss wasn't invited to be on the panel. Schneider added that Joss was, 'quite miffed' about his exclusion from the panel, and took matters into his own hands, leaving his seat in the audience and approaching the microphones set up for the audience Q&A, but they were not yet turned on. When Toby Huss was speaking about writer and voice actor Johnny Hardwick, the original voice of Dale Gribble before Huss replaced him, Joss walked to the mic, as Daniels gave him an impromptu introduction as the voice of John Redcorn to the crowd. 'You were talking about Johnny, and I want to say something about him. This young man said I couldn't stand over there. I guess he didn't know that my land's already gone. He said the mic wasn't going to be used. And I'm an actor. I see a mic, I use it. I see a wrong, I make it right. I want to breathe,' Joss said. He added, 'Our house burned down three months ago,' as Schneider recalled someone in the audience yelled out, 'Dammit Bobby!' before Joss added that his house burned down, 'Because I'm gay.' Schneider added that the panel was 'frozen' and the audience let out a nervous laugh. One panelist said 'Uh,' as Joss responded, 'What? You're doing the same thing, sir. The mind's full of emotion. And real.' He then finally spoke about Johnny Hardwick, stating, 'Johnny, he gave you guys a character, because he is that character. He is that person.' Judge re-introduced Joss as the voice of John Redcorn, at which point Joss walked away from the microphone and past the stage, of his own accord, with Schneider mentioning he wasn't escorted away by security. After the panel backstage, Schneider revealed the panelists all agreed it was the 'right thing' to let him speak and not involve security, though the audience Q&A was skipped after Joss' interruption. He called the interruption, 'jarring,' with Schneider debunking reports that he was upset because he wasn't in Season 14 (he was upset because he wasn't on the panel) and insisted security didn't stop him from speaking, like others have suggested. The panel occurred just two days before Joss was shot and killed following a reported altercation with his neighbor Sigfredo Alvarez Ceja outside his home. Ceja was captured by law enforcement and has been booked on suspicion of murder. He was released on $200k bail this week. Police investigating the senseless murder have now apologized for a previous statement denying his killing was a hate crime. Joss' husband Tristan Kern de Gonzales claimed the shooting that claimed his spouse's life was carried out as part of a homophobia hate-fueled attack - although the San Antonio Police Department later issued a statement dismissing this theory. In a press conference Thursday, San Antonio Police Department Chief William McManus walked back the statement and said it had been issued 'way too prematurely.' He said: 'We shouldn't have done that, it was way too early to make a statement of that nature, we didn't have information to make that statement. 'We understand the LGBTQ+ community are feeling anxious and concerned, a lot of it has to do with that statement, we're sorry.' 'The loss of Jonathan Joss was tragic and felt by the LGBTQ+ community, there's also a concern around circumstances surrounding that death and the history leading up to that.' The previous statement from a San Antonio PD spokesman had read: 'Despite online claims of this being a hate crime, currently the investigation has found no evidence to indicate that Mr. Joss's murder was related to his sexual orientation.' Chief McManus addressed the question of why Ceja had not been charged with a hate crime, saying: 'In Texas hate crimes are not separate charges, instead they are addressed through sentencing enhancements. 'We don't charge with hate crimes, we gather the facts and give those facts to the DA's office. 'A hate crime would be determined at sentencing. 'We're committed to delivering a thorough and complete investigation to file with the DA.' Referring to a fire that destroyed Joss' home in January of this year, he added: 'We're also working closely with arson investigators to understand the fire in this case 'The investigation is still active. 'We've also seen concerns about the volume of calls to Jonathan Joss' residence. 70 calls over 2 years involving neighbor disturbances 'Sometimes he was the caller and other times not.' He confirmed mental health services had made 'repeated efforts to mediate conflicts' and 'connect Joss with services he needed.' Chief McManus ended with a message to the LGBTQ+ community during Pride Month, saying: 'Please know your safety and trust matter to us deeply.' New details about the run-up to the violent crime also emerged via a police report obtained by with an unnamed witness stating they drove Joss from Austin to his burned down San Antonio home around 7pm on June 1 to check his mail. The witness said she pulled up and parked in the driveway while she waited for Joss and another witness to check the mail. Joss' husband Gonzales has claimed he was with the actor on this trip and during the murder. Per the report, she said she saw suspect Ceja pull up in his vehicle with a passenger and stop 'directly behind her car.' She allegedly saw Joss and Ceja argue in her rear view mirror, and claimed Ceja told Joss 'he had a gun and would shoot [Joss].' She claims Ceja then shot Joss. Per the report, Joss was pronounced dead at the scene at 7.20pm and Ceja was detained by police and 'immediately told them "I shot him". His weapons were seized. The report states that '[Ceja] intentionally and knowingly discharged a weapon at [Joss] resulting in his death.' Joss already had a rough year, with his San Antonio house burning down in January, losing his home and two of his three dogs, with the final pooch still missing. He told KSAT in January that he was having issues with the electricity, and he was using a propane heater to keep the house warm, though he hinted that maybe, 'somebody may have come in and did something, who knows.' Joss also lost his car in the blaze, but the GoFundMe organized by Logan Kostroun successfully raised $10,721 from a $15K goal. But neighbors told TMZ on Monday that his house burned down because he attempted to use a BBQ pit to heat it after the city allegedly 'shut off his power when the property was deemed unsafe and uninhabitable.' Gonzales — whom he wed on Valentine's Day — claimed he was murdered after they were 'harassed' for two years by 'openly homophobic' individuals who 'did not accept our relationship. '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,' the South Carolina native recalled on Facebook. '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. Jonathan and I had no weapons.' He continued, '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.' Tristan added, 'My focus now is on protecting Jonathan's legacy and honoring the life we built together.''
