This story has been updated.
Community members are planning a gathering to remember the life of actor and San Antonio native Jonathan Joss, who was shot and killed Sunday night outside of his Southside home.
Joss’ neighbor, Sigfredo Alvarez Ceja, 56, was identified as the main suspect in the shooting, according to the police report. Ceja was booked and charged with murder, with a judge setting a bail of $200,000.
Joss was 59 and is remembered for his work as an actor, playing roles in shows such as “Parks and Recreation” and being the voice of John Redcorn in the the animated series “King of the Hill,” as well as movies including “The Magnificent Seven” and “True Grit.”
The Pride Center San Antonio is inviting the community to join a vigil at 7 p.m. Sunday, June 8. The organization dedicated to promoting the LGBTQ+ community in Bexar County, will also host a “know your rights” workshop on police interactions.
“We are creating a space to grieve, process and collectively come together to mourn the violent loss of Jonathan Joss, Native Comanche and White Mountain Apache, known voice actor/actor, partner & husband, dog dad and proudly out bisexual man,” states a social media post by The Pride Center. “We demand accountability and answers. This was a hate crime, this was an act of violent unchecked homophobia and transphobia.”
Congressman Joaquin Castro posted on social media that it was “a shocking tragedy.” “My prayers are with his family and friends during this heartbreaking time. This was a homophobic attack and this has no place in America,” he said.
In a written statement on Monday, the San Antonio Police Department stated that their investigation had “found no evidence whatsoever to indicate that the Mr. Joss’ murder was related to his sexual orientation.”
However, on Thursday, Chief William McManus said at press conference that SAPD’s statement was “way, way, way premature” and shouldn’t have been issued because they were still gathering information. “We shouldn’t have done it.”
Early reports stated that officers arrived to the location of a shooting in progress on Dorsey Street and found Joss near the roadway and attempted life-saving measures until the emergency medical services team arrived. The actor was pronounced deceased at the scene by EMS.
Joss’ partner Tristan Kern de Gonzales posted his account of the events on social media, stating that they were at the site of their former home — which was involved in fire this January — checking the mail when they discovered the skull of one of their dogs and his harness “in clear view.” This caused them to start crying and yelling in distress and he says that’s when a man approached them yelling homophobic slurs, according to the post shared by KSAT.
Ceja Alvarez was in the process of being released from jail on Tuesday, according to KSAT, and was expected to be under house arrest.
“As we reflect on the recent coverage surrounding Jonathan’s final days, we carry this ache like a stone in our chest,” said Ramon J. Vasquez, executive director of the American Indians in Texas at the Spanish Colonial Missions (AIT-SCM), in a written statement on Tuesday.
“Public reports describing his distress are heartbreaking, not because they define who he was, but because they point to a more profound crisis that is all too familiar in Native communities: the unspoken, underserved, and ongoing struggle with mental hardship and lateral violence.”
