An actor who appeared in animated sequence King Of The Hill and hit present Parks And Recreation has been shot lifeless close to his dwelling.
Jonathan Joss, 59, was discovered injured by police in San Antonio, Texas, on Sunday night.
Officers tried to save lots of him however he was pronounced lifeless on the scene.
The actor’s husband claimed the gunman shouted “violent homophobic slurs” earlier than opening fireplace, and that Joss had pushed him out the way in which to save lots of his life.
“He was murdered by someone who could not stand the sight of two men loving each other,” alleged Tristan Kern de Gonzales on Fb.
He stated the couple had beforehand confronted harassment by neighbours, a lot of it “openly homophobic”.
Joss’s husband stated they have been checking the mail at his dwelling – which earlier this yr burned down in a fireplace that killed their three canines – after they observed the cranium of one of many animals in entrance of the property.
He stated they started started “yelling and crying” and claimed they have been approached by a person who threatened them with a gun.
“We were standing side by side,” stated Mr Kern de Gonzales. “When the man fired Jonathan pushed me out of the way. He saved my life.”
Nonetheless, San Antonio police stated it had to this point discovered no proof indicating the taking pictures was a hate crime.
“Should any new evidence come to light, we will charge the suspect accordingly,” stated an announcement.
A 56-year-old man, Sigfredo Alvarez Ceja, has already been charged with homicide.
Joss is finest recognized for voicing Native American character John Redcorn in cult present King Of The Hill, which ran for 13 sequence and greater than 250 episodes from 1997 to 2009.
He additionally had a recurring position in NBC’s Parks And Recreation as tribal elder and on line casino proprietor Chief Ken Hotate.
A King Of The Hill reboot is because of begin in August and Joss had been in Austin, Texas, for occasions selling the comeback the day earlier than he was killed.
He posted a video on Instagram saying he was signing autographs at a comic book e-book retailer, including that he had already labored on 4 episodes of the revival.
“The fans get to revisit King Of the Hill again, which I think is an amazing thing because it’s a great show,” he stated within the video.
The suspect is being held in a detention centre in San Antonio, however the lawyer representing him couldn’t be traced as they weren’t listed in court docket information.
