Actor Jonathan Joss, known for King of the Hill and Parks and Recreation, fatally shot in Texas

Jonathan Joss, an actor best known for his voice work on the animated television series King of the Hill, as well as a role on Parks and Recreation, was fatally shot near his Texas home, authorities said Monday.

Police were dispatched to a home in south San Antonio at about 7 p.m. Sunday over a call about a shooting in progress. When officers arrived at the scene, they found the 59-year-old wounded near the street.   

"The officers attempted life saving measures until EMS arrived. EMS pronounced the victim deceased," San Antonio police said in a statement.

After the shooting, authorities arrested 56-year-old Sigfredo Alvarez Ceja and charged him with murder in relation to Joss's death.   

Joss, who grew up in San Antonio, was best known as the voice of John Redcorn, a Native American character on the popular Fox animated series King of the Hill that ran from 1997 to 2008. A reboot of the show is set to start in August, and Joss reportedly had already started recording audio for it. 

Joss also had a recurring role on NBC sitcom Parks and Recreation, playing Chief Ken Hotate. He appeared in two episodes of the series Tulsa King in 2022.

Joss's death was confirmed by his husband, Tristan Kern de Gonzales.

"He was murdered," de Gonzales told The Associated Press in a text. The two were married earlier this year on Valentine's Day.

Husband alleges shooting motivated by homophobia

In a statement, de Gonzales said he and Joss had previously faced harassment, much of it "openly homophobic." He said the person who killed the actor yelled "violent homophobic slurs" before opening fire.

"He was murdered by someone who could not stand the sight of two men loving each other," de Gonzales said.

In an email, San Antonio police did not immediately provide any information on what prompted the shooting, but in a statement, the department said its investigation had found "no evidence whatsoever to indicate that Mr. Joss's murder was related to his sexual orientation."

"We take such allegations very seriously and have thoroughly reviewed all available information. Should any new evidence come to light, we will charge the suspect accordingly," the statement said.

Before the shooting, de Gonzales and Joss were checking mail at Joss's home, which had been heavily damaged during a January fire that claimed the lives of their three dogs. A man approached the two and threatened them with a gun, de Gonzales said.

"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," de Gonzales said in a statement.

Court records did not list an attorney who could speak on behalf of Ceja, who was being held in the Bexar County Adult Detention Center.

A GoFundMe page had been set up in January for Joss after the house fire. According to the page, Joss had lost all of his belongings in the fire, including his vehicle.

Actor was working on King of the Hill revival

Before he was fatally shot, Joss had been in Austin, located about 130 kilometres northeast of San Antonio, for events related to a sneak peek of the King of the Hill revival.

On Saturday, Joss had posted a video on Instagram in which he said he was signing autographs at a comic book store in Austin.    

"The fans get to revisit King of the Hill again, which I think is an amazing thing because it's a great show," Joss said in the video, adding he had already done voice work on four episodes of the revival.   

De Gonzales said his husband was grateful for his fans.   

"To everyone who supported him, his fans, his friends, know that he valued you deeply. He saw you as family," de Gonzales said.