Police retract ‘premature’ hate crime denial in Jonathan Joss shooting
Global News
Joss' widower, Tristan Kern de Gonzales, disputed the police claims, saying he believes his husband's killing was because of his sexual orientation.
San Antonio police have retracted their statement claiming there was no evidence indicating that the fatal shooting of Jonathan Joss was a hate crime, saying their initial declaration was “premature.”
Joss, best known for voicing John Redcorn on animated comedy King of the Hill, was shot dead outside his home in San Antonio on Sunday. His neighbour, 56-year-old Sigfredo Alvarez Ceja, has since been arrested on a murder charge.
The cause of death was “injuries sustained after multiple gun shots,” police confirmed.
In a statement the following day, 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.”
The statement caused widespread anger and upset, particularly with Joss’ widower, Tristan Kern de Gonzales, who said he believes his husband’s killing was because of his sexual orientation.
“Jonathan Joss is my husband,” Kern de Gonzales said in a TikTok post. “I don’t say ‘was’ because he will always be my husband. He will always be the love of my life.
“I’m gonna keep talking about not only what happened on the day of my husband’s death, but also, we’re gonna share just everything about Jonathan and everything that he stood for. We’re gonna laugh together. We’re gonna cry together. We’re gonna be angry together.
