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An actor who was best known for his voice work on the animated TV series King of the Hill was shot and killed on San Antonio's South Side on Sunday.
Jonathan Joss, 59, voiced the character John Redcorn on the comedy series.
He was also in the remakes of the movies The Magnificent Seven and True Grit.
Joss also contributed to public radio. In 2019, he teamed up with talk show host and podcaster Diane Rehm to tell the story of "Grandfather Stone" for the series "Circle Round," which shares folktales with young listeners.
WBUR explained that "Grandfather Stone" was "a legend from the Seneca people: Native Americans who originally lived in what’s now known as New York state."
Reports indicated that Joss was allegedly shot and killed by his neighbor during an argument Sunday evening outside his house.
In a statement posted on Joss' Facebook page, his husband, Tristan Kern de Gonzales, said that the man allegedly yelled homophobic slurs at them. "He then raised a gun from his lap and fired," he claimed.
Joss died at the scene.
San Antonio police officers arrested the neighbor, 56-year-old Sigfredo Ceja. In a statement, police explained that the "suspect was transported to Headquarters for further investigation and then booked for murder. The investigation is still ongoing."
In the same statement, a public information officer also explained that the “investigation has found no evidence whatsoever to indicate that the Mr. Joss’s murder was related to his sexual orientation. 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.”
Reaction to the actor's death was widespread.
In a Facebook post, Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLU) mourned the loss of Joss, who graduated from the university's communications and theater program in 1990. OLLU praised him as a "gifted actor." He was "a proud member of our university community and a trailblazer in his field. His work and advocacy have left a lasting impact, and his legacy will continue to inspire."
Abel A. Chávez, the OLLU president, wrote in a letter to the university community that Joss "often spoke with great pride of his time at OLLU, crediting the university for not only shaping his artistic talent but also for nurturing him in an environment 'embodied with love' — a place that, in his words, 'presented family.' This spirit of community and care stayed with him throughout his life and career."
"We celebrate his contributions, his artistry, and his legacy," Chávez wrote, "a legacy built not just on talent, but on the values of love, community, and perseverance that he carried from his days at OLLU into every chapter of his life."
American Indians in Texas at the Spanish Colonial Missions (AIT-SCM) praised Joss as "not only a beloved actor and advocate but also a cherished supporter of our work, particularly in areas of intimate partner violence prevention and the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and People (MMIWP) movement."
The group added: "His tragic death has brought renewed urgency to conversations around mental health, gun violence, MMIWP, and the ongoing crises impacting Native communities, both locally and nationally."
