Parks And Recreation Star Jonathan Joss' Husband Says Actor Was Killed In Horrific Homophobic Attack
American actor Jonathan Joss has died at the age of 59 after being fatally shot outside of his home.
Jonathan was best known for his voice work in the animated series King Of The Hill, in which he played John Redcorn, as well as making frequent appearances in the comedy Parks And Recreation as Chief Ken Hotate.
On Monday evening, Jonathan’s husband Tristan Kern de Gonzales shared a statement on Facebook stating that the pair had been subjected to homophobic abuse.
“My husband Jonathan Joss and I were involved in a shooting while checking the mail at the site of our former home,” Tristan said. “That home was burned down after over two years of threats from people in the area who repeatedly told us they would set it on fire. We reported these threats to law enforcement multiple times and nothing was done.
“Throughout that time we were harassed regularly by individuals who made it clear they did not accept our relationship. Much of the harassment was openly homophobic.”
He continued: “When we returned to the site to check our mail we discovered the skull of one of our dogs and its harness placed in clear view. This caused both of us severe emotional distress. We began yelling and crying in response to the pain of what we saw.
“While we were doing this a man approached us. He started yelling violent homophobic slurs at us. He then raised a gun from his lap and fired.”
Tristan added: “Jonathan and I had no weapons. We were not threatening anyone. We were grieving. We were standing side by side. When the man fired Jonathan pushed me out of the way. He saved my life.
“Jonathan is my husband. He gave me more love in our time together than most people ever get. We were newlyweds. We picked Valentine’s Day. We were in the process of looking for a trailer and planning our future.
“He was murdered by someone who could not stand the sight of two men loving each other. I was with him when he passed. I told him how much he was loved
“To everyone who supported him, his fans, his friends, know that he valued you deeply. He saw you as family. My focus now is on protecting Jonathan’s legacy and honoring the life we built together. If your concern is how someone coped with trauma or how loudly they speak when recounting injustice and being ignored by authorities then you never truly cared about my husband. Jonathan saved my life. I will carry that forward. I will protect what he built.”
CBS News reported that police officers responded to a call about the shooting, and that while first responders tried to save him, Jonathan was pronounced dead at the scene./
A suspect has now been charged with murder, they added.
Police in Texas told BBC News: “Despite online claims of this being a hate crime, currently the investigation has found no evidence to indicate that the Mr Joss’s murder was related to his sexual orientation.”
A spokesperson added: “Investigators handle these allegations very seriously and have thoroughly reviewed all available information.
“Should any new evidence come to light, the suspect will be charged accordingly.”
Parks And Rec star Nick Offerman provided a statement to People, saying: “The cast has been texting together about it all day and we’re just heartbroken. Jonathan was such a sweet guy and we loved having him as our Chief Ken Hotate. A terrible tragedy.”