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San Antonio police walked back a statement from earlier this week that said the killing of King of the Hill actor Jonathan Joss showed no evidence of being a hate crime or related to his sexual orientation.
The statement had received wide criticism online, and in a Thursday news conference at SAPD headquarters, San Antonio Police Chief William McManus said it was premature and should not have been issued.
“I will own that and simply say again that we simply shouldn't have done that," he said. "It was way too early in the process for any statement of that nature to be issued.”
Joss was killed on Sunday during a confrontation with a neighbor. Allegedly, he and the neighbor had numerous disagreements in the past.
In a Facebook post, Joss' husband Tristian Kern de Gonzales alleged after Joss' death that the shooter had issued homophobic slurs.
Sigfredo Alvarez Ceja, 56, has been charged with murder.
McManus added that charges of hate crimes are not separate charges and are issued as sentencing enhancements under Texas law.
SAPD and Pride San Antonio planned to host a joint town hall at Woodlawn Pointe on Thursday evening.
Pride Center San Antonio, a separate organization, planned a vigil for Joss at Crockett Park.
