Latest news with #SanAntonioPoliceDepartment
1News
2 hours ago
- 1News
Police weigh King of the Hill actor's sexual orientation as factor in killing
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 Friday 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 (local time). 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 today, San Antonio Police Chief William McManus 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. Parliament punishment, free money?, getting wicked again (Source: 1News) ADVERTISEMENT 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. Candles, flowers, and notes are placed at a makeshift memorial in San Antonio. (Source: Associated Press) 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". ADVERTISEMENT Sigfredo Ceja Alvarez, who is a neighbour of Joss, is charged with murder in the shooting. Ceja Alvarez has been released on a US$200,000 (NZ$331,260) bond. McManus said police had been called to Joss' home and his neighbourhood about 70 times over the past two years related to "neighbourhood type disturbances". "Sometimes [Joss] was the caller. Other times, the neighbours 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 honoured Joss' memory with tributes. ADVERTISEMENT "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.
8 hours ago
- Entertainment
Police consider whether 'King of the Hill' actor's sexual orientation played a role in his killing
HOUSTON -- 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, San Antonio Police Chief William McManus 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.
New York Post
8 hours ago
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Jonathan Joss murder investigators walk back dismissal of homophobic hate crime claims: ‘Way, way, way premature'
Detectives investigating 'King of the Hill' actor Jonathan Joss' murder walked back their dismissal of homophobic hate crime claims — admitting it was 'way premature' to rule the possibility out. 'We issued a statement the day after Jonathan Joss's murder that was way, way, way premature,' San Antonio Police Chief William McManus told reporters Thursday. 'We shouldn't have done it.' Joss' husband took to social media a day after his Sunday murder to claim the shooting was carried out by a bigoted neighbor who'd been harassing them over their sexuality for years — and that the gunman was spewing homophobic slurs as he pulled the trigger. Advertisement Tristan Kern de Gonzales with his husband, actor Jonathan Joss, who was gunned down Sunday. Facebook/Jonathan Joss The San Antonio Police Department (SAPD) quickly rebuked those allegations, however, writing within hours on X that investigators had found 'no evidence to indicate that Mr. Joss's murder was related to his sexual orientation' — but now seems to be changing its tune. 'It was way too soon before we had any real information, and I will own that,' McManus said. Advertisement The chief didn't comment on whether investigators were now looking into homophobia as a motivator for the suspect arrested at the scene — Joss' 56-year-old next-door neighbor Sigfredo Ceja Alvarez — instead explaining that in Texas, hate crimes are not separate charges, but rather enhancements at sentencing time. 'They are addressed through sentencing enhancements. So, for example, if someone's arrested for a class B misdemeanor and a hate crime designation attaches to that charge, then that Class B misdemeanor is elevated to a class A misdemeanor,' McManus said, according to KENS 5. Joss — a 59-year-old who played 'John Redcorn' on 'King of the Hill' — was gunned down in his driveway Sunday evening after he stopped by his property to pick up his mail, but got into a heated argument with someone and wound up dead on the ground. Suspect Sigfredo Ceja Alvarez in his booking photo. He's accused of murder. Getty Images Advertisement His husband, Tristan Kern de Gonzales, claimed they'd found the remains of a beloved pet dog they'd recently lost in a property fire displayed out front, and that they became distraught at the sight. A neighbor whom Joss had been butting heads with for years then came over and started arguing with them, Gonzales claimed, then pulled out a rifle and killed the actor. After police initially refuted Gonzales' claims, numerous residents on the street revealed Joss hadn't been the best neighbor and recounted stories of him stalking up and down the block while screaming and wielding weapons. Advertisement But they also corroborated claims about a years-long feud between Joss and Alvarez, with some describing hearing gunshots ringing from both men's properties at odd hours of the night. That conflict and others with Joss resulted in more than 70 police calls to his property over the past two years, Chief McManus revealed Thursday. 'Sometimes he was the caller. Other times the neighbors were calling on him. Our safe unit, our mental health unit had extensive engagements with Mr. Joss, making repeated efforts to mediate conflicts,' the chief said.
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Police consider whether 'King of the Hill' actor's sexual orientation played a role in his killing
HOUSTON (AP) — 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, San Antonio Police Chief William McManus 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. ___ Follow Juan A. Lozano:
San Francisco Chronicle
9 hours ago
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
Police consider whether 'King of the Hill' actor's sexual orientation played a role in his killing
HOUSTON (AP) — 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, San Antonio Police Chief William McManus 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. ___
