The chief of the San Antonio Police Department (SAPD) has taken back the department’s initial statement that the June 1 murder of Jonathan Joss, a gay 59-year-old Native American actor, didn’t seem to be motivated by homophobia. Joss’ husband, Tristan Kern de Gonzales, wrote in a public Facebook post that he heard a neighbor yell anti-gay slurs before shooting Joss to death.
In a June 2 statement, San Antonio Police said that “despite online claims of this being a hate crime, currently the investigation has found no evidence to indicate that Mr. Joss’s murder was related to his sexual orientation.” However, in a public statement issued on June 5, SAPD Chief William P. McManus admitted, “It was way too early in the process for any statement of that nature to be issued.”
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“He cannot become just another hashtag. Just another Black queer man taken too soon and forgotten while the case goes cold.”
“We understand that many in the LGBTQ+ community are feeling anxious and concerned,” McManus continued. “A lot of it has to do with that premature statement that we released, and again, I own that. Shouldn’t have done it.”
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McManus said the SAPD has received 70 calls over the last two years from Kern de Gonzales and neighbors, reporting one another for various disturbances. Sometimes, Kern de Gonzales would accuse neighbors of hurling anti-gay slurs at him and Joss; other times, neighbors would complain about the couple being loud.
The chief said that the SAPD’s mental health unit had “extensive engagements with Mr. Joss, making repeated efforts to remediate conflicts and connect him with services he may have needed.” McManus also said that the local attorney general would decide whether to pursue hate crime enhancements during the sentencing phase, if there’s enough evidence to prove the suspect’s anti-gay animus.
Police arrived on the scene around 7 p.m. local time on the day of the murder and found Joss laying near the roadside, People magazine reported. Though medics appeared and tried to resuscitate him, Joss died at the scene, and police quickly arrested a suspect, 56-year-old neighbor Sigfredo Alvarez Ceja, who allegedly drove over Joss’ body before fleeing, TMZ reported.
Ceja now faces murder charges for Joss’ slaying. The aforementioned publication said the two men had allegedly engaged in verbal and physical fights in the past.
In a public Facebook post, Joss’ husband said that their house burned down in February “after over two years of threats from people in the area who repeatedly told us they would set it on fire,” adding, “We reported these threats to law enforcement multiple times and nothing was done.”
Ceja was released on a $200,000 bond on Monday, NBC News reported. A judge ordered Ceja not to purchase or possess any firearms and also issued Ceja a no-contact order while awaiting
Joss voice-acted Native American character John Redcorn in the Texas-based comedic cartoon series King of the Hill and also portrayed Native American tribe leader Ken Hotate in the comedy TV series Parks and Recreation. Joss’ character was set to re-appear in Hulu’s upcoming revival of King of the Hill this August.
In a public statement on Joss’ murder, the Human Rights Campaign wrote, “We are heartbroken over the death of Jonathan Joss, and we call for a complete investigation into the disturbing reports of his shooting. We know the heaviness and fear that comes with seeing reports of anti-LGBTQ+ violence in your social media feeds. We feel it too. We are here with you.”
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