San Antonio police apologized Thursday for a “premature” statement declaring there was no evidence of a hate crime in the death of Jonathan Joss.
Joss, a voice actor known for playing John Redcorn in “King of the Hill,” was fatally shot Sunday outside his San Antonio home.
San Antonio Police said in a statement the following day 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.”
That statement sparked outrage and was rebutted by Joss’ husband, Tristan Kern de Gonzales, who believes his husband was killed for his sexual orientation.
We gather the facts and we give those facts to the district attorney’s office, and that hate crime designation is determined at sentencing, but we don’t charge hate crime,” he said.
For making the “premature” claim that there was no proof of a hate crime in Jonathan Joss’s death, San Antonio police issued an apology on Thursday.
Outside his San Antonio home on Sunday, Joss, a voice actor best known for his role as John Redcorn in “King of the Hill,” was shot deceased. According to authorities, his neighbor, Sigfredo Alvarez Ceja, 56, was taken into custody and charged with murder.
“Despite online claims that this was a hate crime, the investigation has found no evidence to indicate that Mr. Joss’s murder was related to his sexual orientation,” San Antonio Police said in a statement the next day. “.
Tristan Kern de Gonzales, Joss’s husband, refuted the outraged statement, claiming that his husband was killed because of his sexual orientation.
Chief William P. On Thursday, McManus took back his police statement.
“It shouldn’t have happened. “I will take responsibility for the fact that it was far too soon before we had accurate information,” McManus stated. “Any statement of that kind was released far too early in the process. “”.
“We recognize the anxiety and concern that many members of the LGBTQ+ community are experiencing. The premature statement we released is largely to blame, and I take full responsibility for that. Not something I should have done,” he added.
In Texas, hate crimes are treated as sentencing enhancements rather than as distinct charges, McManus explained.
We do not prosecute hate crimes. We collect the information and provide it to the district attorney’s office. At sentencing, the designation of hate crime is decided, but hate crime charges are not brought,” he stated.
In addition, McManus stated that Joss’s past in the neighborhood before the shooting raised questions.
According to an analysis of police files and conversations with Kern de Gonzalez and neighbors, the couple had problems with their neighbors. According to Kern De Gonzalez, a lot of their neighbors would call them names that are offensive to gay people and complain about their loudness. “”.
McManus reported Thursday that 70 calls involving neighborhood-type disturbances have been made in the last two years. Joss is the one who calls sometimes, and the neighbors call on him other times.
According to the police chief, the mental health unit of the police had “extensive engagements with Mr. Joss, making repeated efforts to remediate conflicts and connect him with services he may have needed.”.
The inquiry is still in progress.
On Monday, Ceja was released on a $200,000 bond, with a no-contact order and a prohibition against buying or owning any firearms. He’s waiting to be charged.
A request for comment from Ceja’s court-appointed lawyer was not immediately answered.
Both advocates and the internet were incensed by the shooting.
The police department was criticized by one X user for initially asserting that there was no proof of a hate crime, stating that “a house was burned down, years of harassment were reported and ignored, and homophobic slurs were yelled.”.
