3 days ago
Fatal shooting of Jonathan Joss uncovers neighborhood feud, sparks police controversy
The Brief
Jonathan Joss, voice actor for John Redcorn on King of the Hill, was fatally shot outside his San Antonio home.
A neighbor has been arrested and charged with murder, but police are facing scrutiny for initially dismissing the possibility of a hate crime.
Investigators are now probing a long-standing neighborhood feud and a prior house fire involving Joss, to determine if they are connected to his murder.
SAN ANTONIO, Texas - The Hollywood actor was shot and killed outside his San Antonio home last weekend.
The San Antonio Police Department did make an arrest in the case, but they've also stepped right into a PR scandal.
Perhaps best known as the voice behind John Redcorn on the hit TV show King of the Hill, actor Jonathan Joss was fatally gunned down outside his home, at the age of 69 on Sunday.
Almost immediately, police arrested a neighbor, 56-year-old Sigfredo Ceja Alvarez, and charged him with murder.
Investigators never revealed what linked him to the crime, but court records show Alvarez did bond out and is currently on house arrest.
What they're saying
San Antonio Police Chief William McManus initially said there was no reason to believe a hate crime had occurred but has since walked that statement back.
"Shouldn't have done it. It was way too soon before we had any real information and I will own that and simply say again that we simply shouldn't have that," said McManus.
"We understand that many in the LBGTQ Plus 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."
The victim's husband told officers that Alvarez yelled homophobic slurs at them, before opening fire.
Dig deeper
Neighbors told police that Alvarez and Joss had a longstanding neighborhood feud over reasons yet to be revealed.
"There's also concern about the circumstances surrounding that death and the history in the neighborhood leading up to that," said McManus.
On Thursday, alliance members held a community meeting with police leaders to dispel some of the rumors and myths that the case has generated.
"We feel it's important to be able to bridge the gap and just get to a truth everybody can understand," said Secretary of PRIDE San Antonio, James Poindexter.
According to detectives, Joss's home burned down several months ago.
Now the big question is, are the fire and the murder connected?
Police are sorting through the extensive logs in their quest for clues.
"There are approximately 70 calls over the past two years involving various neighborhood type disturbances. Sometimes he was the caller. Other times, the neighbors were calling on him," said McManus.
"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."
What's next
When asked by a reporter at today's news conference whether Joss was targeted because of his sexual orientation, Chief McManus said they're still "looking into that."
The Source
Information in the article is provided by the San Antonio Police Department.
