“King Of The Hill” Star Jonathan Joss Killed In San Antonio Shooting
Actor Jonathan Joss Was Killed In A Shooting On June 1
59-year-old Jonathan Joss, the actor known for his roles in King of the Hill, Parks and Recreation, and Tulsa King, was killed in a shooting in San Antonio on Sunday, June 1.
Joss’ husband, Tristan Kern de Gonzales, contacted The Associated Press to confirm the news of Joss’ death.
de Gonzales shared more details in a statement he posted on Facebook. On the day of the shooting, Gonzales says he and Joss went to check the mail at Joss’ home, which sustained severe damage in a fire earlier this year. The fire also resulted in the deaths of their dogs.
As he and Joss were checking the mail, de Gonzales says they noticed the skull of one of their deceased dogs “placed in clear view.” He and Joss got emotional at the sight and started “yelling and crying in response to the pain.”
Then, de Gonzales says a man approached them and threatened them with a gun. He claims they previously faced “openly homophobic” harassment in the neighborhood.
de Gonzales alleges that the person who shot and killed Joss yelled “violent homophobic slurs” before he started firing.
“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.
Police arrived at the San Antonio-area home around 7 PM local time. The responding officers discovered Joss near the street.
“The officers attempted life saving measures until EMS arrived. EMS pronounced the victim deceased,” the San Antonio police said in a statement quoted by The Associated Press.
56-year-old Sigfredo Alvarez Ceja was arrested after the shooting and charged with murder. The San Antonio police said so far, their investigation, “has found no evidence whatsoever to indicate that Mr. Joss’s murder was related to his sexual orientation.” They added:
“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.”
Joss’ Loved Ones & Former Co-Workers Pay Tribute
Jonathan Joss landed his first roles in 1994. He had a small role in the movie 8 Seconds, which shared the life story of legendary bull rider Lane Frost. That same year, Joss also starred in the TV shows The Substitute Wife, Without Consent, Walker, Texas Ranger, and Texas.
In 1998, Joss started voicing the character John Redcorn in the animated sitcom King of the Hill. He stepped into the role after Redcorn’s original voice actor, Victor Aaron, was killed in a car accident.
Joss played Redcorn from 1998 to 2009 and planned to return to the recently announced revival, set to premiere in August. PEOPLE reports that the actors had already started recording their lines before Joss’ death.
In addition to his work on King of the Hill, Joss appeared in projects such as Parks and Recreation, True Grit, Ray Donovan, and the Taylor Sheridan series Tulsa King.
After learning Joss had been killed, his loved ones and former co-workers expressed their grief in emotional tributes. Nick Offerman, who starred alongside Joss in Parks and Recreation, told PEOPLE:
“The cast has been texting together about it all day and we’re just heartbroken. Jonathan was such a sweet guy and we loved having him as our Chief Ken Hotate. A terrible tragedy.”
King of the Hill creators Mike Judge, Greg Daniels, and Saladin Patterson provided a joint statement to Variety, which read:
“Jonathan Joss 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.”
de Gonzales, Joss’ husband, ended his Facebook post with a promise in tribute to him, writing, “Jonathan saved my life. I will carry that forward. I will protect what he built.”
Our hearts go out to all who knew and loved Jonathan Joss…
