HOUSTON — Jonathan Joss, a voice actor renowned for his role on the animated TV show “King of the Hill,” was tragically shot and killed close to his residence in Texas, as authorities reported on Monday.
Law enforcement officers were called to a house in southern San Antonio at approximately 7 p.m. on Sunday following reports of a shooting incident in progress. Upon reaching the location, they discovered the injured 59-year-old individual near the road.
“The officers attempted life saving measures until EMS arrived. EMS pronounced the victim deceased,” San Antonio police said in a statement.
Confirming the actor’s passing, Joss’ spouse, Tristan Kern de Gonzales, relayed the sad news to The Associated Press via a text message. The couple had tied the knot earlier this year on Valentine’s Day.
Jonathan Joss, seen here in 2021, has died.
Derek Storm/Everett Collection via CNN Newsource
San Antonio police said “despite online claims of this being a hate crime, currently the investigation has found no evidence to indicate that the Mr. Joss’s murder was related to his sexual orientation.”
“SAPD investigators handle these allegations very seriously and have thoroughly reviewed all available information. Should any new evidence come to light, the suspect will be charged accordingly,” police said in a social media post.
In a statement, de Gonzales said he and Joss had previously faced harassment, much of it “openly homophobic.” Joss’ husband said the person who killed the actor yelled “violent homophobic slurs” before opening fire.
“He was murdered by someone who could not stand the sight of two men loving each other,” de Gonzales said.
Before the shooting, de Gonzales and Joss were checking mail at Joss’ home, which had been heavily damaged during a January fire that claimed the lives of their three dogs. A man approached the two and threatened them with a gun, de Gonzales said.
“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,” de Gonzales said in a statement.
After the shooting, authorities arrested 56-year-old Sigfredo Alvarez Ceja and charged him with murder in Joss’ death.
Court records did not list an attorney who could speak on behalf of Ceja, who was being held in the Bexar County Adult Detention Center.
In a statement, San Antonio police said its investigation “has found no evidence whatsoever to indicate that Mr. Joss’s murder was related to his sexual orientation.”
“We take such allegations very seriously and have thoroughly reviewed all available information. Should any new evidence come to light, we will charge the suspect accordingly,” police said.
Joss, who grew up in San Antonio, was best known as the voice of John Redcorn, a Native American character on the popular “King of the Hill” animated series that ran for 13 seasons from 1997 to 2008. A reboot of the show is set to start in August.
Joss also had a recurring role on the television show “Parks and Recreation,” playing Chief Ken Hotate. He appeared in two episodes of the series “Tulsa King” in 2022.
A GoFundMe page had been set up in January for Joss after the house fire. According to the page, Joss had lost all of his belongings in the fire, including his vehicle.
Before he was fatally shot, Joss had been in Austin, located about 80 miles (130 kilometers) northeast of San Antonio, for events related to a sneak peak of the “King of the Hill” revival.
On Saturday, Joss had posted a video on Instagram in which he said he was signing autographs at a comic book store in Austin.
“The fans get to revisit ‘King of the Hill’ again, which I think is an amazing thing because it’s a great show,” Joss said in the video, adding he had already done voice work on four episodes of the revival.
Joss’ husband said Joss was grateful for his fans.
“To everyone who supported him, his fans, his friends, know that he valued you deeply. He saw you as family,” de Gonzales said.
ABC News contributed to this report.
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