Tristan Kern de Gonzales is demanding justice in the wake of his husband’s death.
“Jonathan Joss is my husband. I don’t say ‘was’ because he will always be my husband. He will always be the love of my life,” Kern de Gonzales stated via TikTok on Wednesday, June 4.
He said he’s “not very familiar with TikTok” or “the spotlight,” but decided to launch the account @justiceforjoss to keep Joss’ memory alive. He said that he’d continue to talk about “what happened on the day of my husband’s death,” and will also share “everything about Jonathan and everything that he stood for.”
He added, “We’re gonna laugh together. We’re gonna cry together. We’re gonna be angry together.”
Kern de Gonzales thanked followers for “the outpouring of love and support,” and declared that he’s “not going to let the SAPD or anyone else silence the fact that this was a hate crime, and I just won’t be silenced.”
He continued, “I may not be as loud as my husband, but I carry his strength with me. I won’t stop fighting for what I know is right and for my love.”
News broke on Monday that Joss was killed after an alleged altercation with a neighbor in San Antonio, Texas. Authorities were dispatched on Sunday, June 1, to a shooting where they found Joss lying “near the roadway.”
The Parks and Recreation alum was pronounced dead at the scene when paramedics arrived. Officers detained their suspect, Sigfredo Ceja, after he initially fled the scene in a vehicle. Ceja was booked for murder, with Kern de Gonzales claiming the incident was the result of a hate crime.
“Our investigation has found no evidence whatsoever to indicate that Mr. Joss’s murder was related to his sexual orientation,” the San Antonio Police Department said in a statement on June 3. “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.”
Hours after the tragedy, Kern de Gonzales responded via Facebook, writing that he and Joss “were involved in a shooting while checking the mail at the site of our former home. That home was burned down after over two years of threats from people in the area who repeatedly told us they would set it on fire. We reported these threats to law enforcement multiple times and nothing was done.”
He alleged that he and Joss were the targets of “openly homophobic” harassment. When visiting their former home, Kern de Gonzales recalled seeing “the skull” of one of their dogs and its harness, which caused “severe emotional distress.”
“We began yelling and crying in response to the pain of what we saw,” his statement continued. “While we were doing this, a man approached us. He started yelling violent homophobic slurs at us. 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.”
Besides his role on Parks and Rec, Joss is also known for voicing John Redcorn in King of the Hill. The actor also appeared in Tulsa King, Ray Donovan, True Grit and The Magnificent Seven.
