San Antonio police have retracted their assertion claiming there was no proof indicating that the deadly taking pictures of Jonathan Joss was a hate crime, saying their preliminary declaration was “untimely.”
Joss, finest identified for voicing John Redcorn on animated comedy King of the Hill, was shot useless exterior his residence in San Antonio on Sunday. His neighbour, 56-year-old Sigfredo Alvarez Ceja, has since been arrested on a homicide cost.
On this handout picture launched by the Bexar County Sheriff’s Workplace, suspect Sigfredo Ceja Alvarez poses for a reserving picture on June 2, 2025 in San Antonio. He was booked on suspicion of homicide of Jonathan Joss, a voice actor on the tv present ‘King of the Hill.’.
Bexar County Sheriff’s Workplace / Getty Photographs
The reason for loss of life was “accidents sustained after a number of gun photographs,” police confirmed.
In a press release the next day, San Antonio police stated that “regardless of on-line claims of this being a hate crime, at the moment the investigation has discovered no proof to point that Mr. Joss’s homicide was associated to his sexual orientation.”
The assertion triggered widespread anger and upset, notably with Joss’ widower, Tristan Kern de Gonzales, who stated he believes his husband’s killing was due to his sexual orientation.
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“Jonathan Joss is my husband,” Kern de Gonzales stated in a TikTok publish. “I don’t say ‘was’ as a result of he’ll all the time be my husband. He’ll all the time be the love of my life.
Jonathan Joss’s reason behind loss of life was from “accidents sustained after a number of gun photographs.”
Jonathan Joss / Fb
“I’m gonna hold speaking about not solely what occurred on the day of my husband’s loss of life, but additionally, we’re gonna share simply all the things about Jonathan and all the things that he stood for. We’re gonna giggle collectively. We’re gonna cry collectively. We’re gonna be indignant collectively.
“We received’t cease speaking about this. I’m not going to let the SAPD or anybody else silence the truth that this was a hate crime, and I simply received’t be silenced.
“I is probably not as loud as my husband, however I carry his power with me. I received’t cease preventing for what I do know is correct and for my love.”
On Thursday, Police Chief William P. McManus retracted the power’s preliminary feedback.
“Shouldn’t have achieved it. [It] was means too quickly earlier than we had actual data, and I’ll personal that,” McManus stated in reference to creating the assertion. “It was means too early within the course of for any assertion of that nature to be issued.
“We perceive that many within the LGBTQ+ group are feeling anxious and anxious. A whole lot of it has to do with that untimely assertion that we launched, and once more, I personal that. Shouldn’t have achieved it.”
In Texas, hate crimes are usually not charged as a separate offence, however slightly as an enhancement to the penalties for the underlying crime, McManus defined.
“We collect the details and we give these details to the district legal professional’s workplace, and that hate crime designation is decided at sentencing, however we don’t cost hate crime.”
In accordance with police information obtained by NBC, Joss and Kern de Gonzalez had encountered points with their neighbours earlier than the deadly taking pictures.
In accordance with the outlet, Kern de Gonzalez says he and his husband have been bombarded with homophobic slurs from their neighbours, usually leading to calls to the police made each by Joss and others in his neighbourhood.
McManus stated on Thursday that previously two years, his division had obtained 70 calls involving neighbourhood spats.
The police chief stated the psychological well being unit had “in depth engagements with Mr. Joss, making repeated efforts to remediate conflicts and join him with providers he might have wanted.”
The investigation into Joss’ loss of life is ongoing.
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