Actor Jonathan Joss, most remembered for playing Chief Ken Hotate in Parks and Recreation, was fatally shot by a neighbour in Texas, according to US reports. TMZ quoted the San Antonio Police Department saying that the 59-year-old star’s heated argument with a neighbour on the city’s south side led to a serious confrontation. However, the veteran star’s husband says otherwise, hinting at alleged underlying homophobia as a driving force in his killing.

The initially unidentified suspect was said to have taken out his gun during the incident. Shooting Joss several times, the man fled in a vehicle. Although paramedics arrived at the scene as soon as possible, they were unable to save Jonathan, who was eventually pronounced dead.

San Antonio PD later told TMZ that a man named Sigfredo Alvarez Ceja was taken into custody in connection with the murderous crime. Though charged with murder, his bond was set at $200,000. Heartbreaking as it is, the news of Joss’ death comes to us in the very first week of Pride Month.

Who was Jonathan Joss?

Born in San Antonio, Texas, Jonathan Joss was a Native American actor and musician. He was prominently celebrated for his voice acting contributions to the American FOX sitcom King of the Hill. His most famed live-action performance followed in the early 2000’s satire mockumentary TV show Parks and Recreation.

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Despite having a small recurring role as Chief Ken Hotate in just a few episodes of the seven-season series, he won hearts with his witty delivery as Pawnee’s local Wamapoke Native American tribe’s leader. His TV moments are still cherished on YouTube as the show’s official page continues to post character compilations.

Joss’ character especially made an unforgettable appearance around the “Harvest Festival” subplot of the NBC show’s third season. One of Ken Hotate’s dialogues that soared to memorable status during the run was: “There are two things I know about White people: They love Matchbox Twenty, and they are terrified of curses.”

Both of Jonathan’s unmatched TV credits in Parks and Recreation and King of the Hill also share American TV exec Greg Daniels as their co-creator.

In King of the Hill, the actor voiced John Redcorn, a character name that was ultimately directly referenced by the Native American Alternative Blues/Spoke Word act The Red Corn Band. The veteran TV personality was on vocals in the band, with fellow members George Multine III and Tim Sampson both on guitar.

Joss’ other TV appearances included Charmed, ER, Ray Donovan, Tulsa King, in addition to film credits for True Grit and The Magnificent Seven.

King of the Hill star’s recent public sighting

Variety also reported that Joss was most recently spotted at a King of the Hill panel at the ATX Television Festival in Austin, Texas. Unfortunately, he was not invited to be on the panel, but was there in the audience. He even expressed his heartbreak over it in a Facebook post beforehand.

“This show was a part of my life for many years,” he wrote months ago. “That character, that voice, that story… they were my home, my pride, my connection to something bigger than myself. To not be invited felt like being shut out of a place I helped build.”

Joss’ presence as John Redcorn was felt in the show from Season 2 through Season 13, as he took on the role after original actor Victor Aaron’s death in 1996. A King of the Hill revival will go live on Hulu in August. Jonathan will be heard on the show posthumously, as he’s already recorded lines for it.

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Jonathan Joss education qualification

According to The Mirror US, the veteran actor attended McCollum High School before enrolling at Texas State University-San Marco (then-Southwest Texas State University). However, he left the institution before his graduation. Joss eventually went to San Antonio College, and ultimately graduated from Our Lady of the Lake University with a degree in theatre and speech.

Actor’s husband calls his killing was triggered by alleged homophobia

Although the police is still connecting the dots and unravelling the motive behind the fatal shot, Jonathan Joss’ husband, Tristan Kern de Gonzalez, alleged that it was fuelled by homophobic hate.

The violent confrontation took place when the couple were visiting their former home, which was burned down after two years of threats from people in the area who repeatedly told us they would set it on fire,” according to Gonzalez’ Facebook update. The site was destroyed in a fire in January, as per BBC’s report.

As for the man who shot Joss, Tristan said he “started yelling violent homophobic slurs” before opening fire.

Further describing the incident, Gonzalez claimed, “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,” he wrote. “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.”

Meanwhile, the police in Texas said that they have not found any evidence indicating that the Parks and Rec actor’s murder was related to his sexual orientation. “Investigators handle these allegations very seriously and have thoroughly reviewed all available information,” San Antonio Police Department added. “Should any new evidence come to light, the suspect will be charged accordingly.”

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Jonathan Joss death: Tributes pour in

King of the Hill creators Mike Judge, Greg Daniel and Saladin Patterson released a joint statement while paying tribute to the deceased actor: “Jonathan Joss brought ‘King of the Hill’s’ ‘John Redcorn’ to life for over a dozen seasons, including in the upcoming revival. His voice will be missed at ‘King of the Hill,’ and we extend our deepest condolences to Jonathan’s friends and family.”

Joss’ Parks and Recreation co-star Nick Offerman, who famously played Ron Swanson, shared 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.”

A fan wrote on X: “It absolutely shatters my heart to learn of the passing of Jonathan Joss, known and loved by many fans as the voice, heart, spirit, and soul of the character John Redcorn. He made a point to be involved in the fandom, and was so kind to all of us. He will never be forgotten!”