HOUSTON (AP) ā Investigators are looking into whether the sexual orientation of āKing of the Hillā voice actor played a role in his in Texas, authorities said Thursday, walking back a previous statement about the potential motive.
Jossā husband has claimed the person who killed the actor yelled āviolent homophobic slursā before opening fire outside his home in San Antonio on Sunday night. A day after the shooting, San Antonio police issued a statement saying they had found āno evidence whatsoever to indicate that Mr. Jossā murder was related to his sexual orientation.ā
But during a news conference on Thursday, San Antonio Police Chief William McManus said the statement was āprematureā and that whether Jossā sexual orientation played a role in the shooting āis part of the investigation.ā
āI will own that and simply say again that we simply shouldnāt have done that. It was way too early in the process for any statement of that nature to be issued,ā McManus said.
The police chief said many in the LGBTQ+ community āare feeling anxious and concernedā after Jossā shooting and that āa lot of it has to do with that premature statement."
āThe loss of Jonathan Joss was tragic, most heavily felt by the LGBTQ+ community,ā McManus said.
Texas does not have separate hate crimes charges. But if homophobia is found to have been a motive in the shooting, that could result in a harsher sentence at trial under the state's hate crimes law.
āWe gather the facts, and we give those facts to the district attorneyās office. And then that hate crime designation is determined at sentencing,ā McManus said.
The actor's home burned down in January. Jossā husband, Tristan Kern de Gonzales, has said that they were checking mail there Sunday when a man approached them, pulled out a gun and opened fire.
In a statement, de Gonzales said he and Joss had previously faced harassment, much of it āopenly homophobic.ā
Sigfredo Ceja Alvarez, who is a neighbor of Joss, is charged with murder in the shooting. Ceja Alvarez has been released on a $200,000 bond.
Ceja Alvarezās attorney, Alfonso Otero, did not immediately return an email seeking comment Thursday.
McManus said police had been called to Jossā home and his neighborhood about 70 times over the past two years related to āneighborhood type disturbances.ā
āSometimes (Joss) was the caller. Other times, the neighbors were calling on him,ā McManus said.
The San Antonio Police Departmentās mental health unit as well as a unit known as SAFFE that works with residents to help prevent crime āhad extensive engagements with Mr. Joss, making repeated efforts to mediate conflicts and connect him with services that he may have needed,ā McManus said.
The January fire at Jossā home is still being reviewed by arson investigators, McManus said.
Joss lost all his belongings in the blaze and his three dogs were killed.
Actors who worked with Joss, along with friends and fans have honored Jossā memory with tributes.
āHis voice will be missed at King of the Hill, and we extend our deepest condolences to Jonathanās friends and family,ā the showās creators and producers ā Mike Judge, Greg Daniels and Saladin Patterson ā said in a statement on the animated seriesā Instagram page.
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Juan A. Lozano, The Associated Press
