‘Terrible Tragedy’: Native American Actor Jonathan Joss, of King of the Hill and Parks and Recreation, Killed in Shooting at 59

Actor Jonathan Joss, best known for his portrayal of Native American characters in television and film, died at age 59 after being shot near his home in Texas on Sunday.

Police were reportedly dispatched to a shooting in progress along Dorsey Drive in San Antonio at around 7 p.m. and, upon arrival, found a wounded Joss near the road. San Antonio police said in a statement that officers “attempted life-saving measures” until the arrival of paramedics, who eventually pronounced Joss dead.

Tristan Kern de Gonzales, Joss’ husband after the pair married earlier this year on Valentine’s Day, confirmed the actor’s death to the Associated Press.

De Gonzales posted a statement on Facebook after Joss’ death, saying that the two were checking the mail at a former residence when the shooting happened. “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,” the statement said. “We reported these threats to law enforcement multiple times and nothing was done.” While living there, they regularly experienced “openly homophobic” harassment, he claimed.

Joss had told local news in January that the “house [he] grew up in” had been burned down and was “vandalized” while he and his partner were away. In addition to damaging the property, the fire reportedly killed three of Joss’ dogs.

Joss’ husband said in the statement after Joss’ death that a man approached them while they were checking for mail at the property and began yelling “violent homophobic slurs” at them before raising a gun and firing.

“Jonathan and I had no weapons,” de Gonzales said. “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.”

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

San Antonio police said in a statement: “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.”

The statement added: “SAPD 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,” 

Authorities arrested Sigfredo Ceja Alvarez, 56, and charged him with first-degree murder, according to county records. TMZ reported that Joss and his neighbor had experienced “both verbal and physical fights in the past” and “tensions between the two men had been building for years.”

Joss began his acting career in 1994 with roles in episodes of Walker, Texas Ranger, as well as in movies like 8 Seconds, according to his IMDB page.

In both the 1996 miniseries Dead Man’s Walk and 2008 miniseries Comanche Moon, based on the Western novels by Larry McMurtry, Joss portrayed the character Kicking Wolf. Joss, who is of Apache and Comanche descent, said in 2008, “I loved how Kicking Wolf wasn’t your typical stoic Native American. He was allowed to smile and add some humor to the story.”

Joss went on to play Ken Hotate, the comical and clever tribal leader of the fictional Wamapoke people, in five episodes of NBC sitcom Parks and Recreation between 2011 and 2015. “He is so funny,” fellow show actor Aubrey Plaza told San Antonio local news in 2014. “His relationship with Leslie Knope [Amy Poehler] is one of the funniest dynamics because of how weird their exchanges are. Jonathan is a really talented improviser. He’s always making us crack up.”

In a statement to People on Monday, Parks and Recreation co-star Nick Offerman said of Joss’ death: “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.”

Perhaps Joss’ most famous acting credit was voicing the character John Redcorn in animated sitcom King of the Hill, which aired on Fox for 13 seasons from 1997 to 2009. He took over the role from Victor Aaron in the show’s second season after Aaron died in a car accident. A reboot of King of the Hill is scheduled to premiere in August, and Joss had reportedly already begun recording lines for it.

Just days before his death, Joss appeared at a panel about the reboot on May 30 in Austin, Texas, where he spoke from the audience after expressing disappointment on social media in April for not being invited to speak on the panel.

“This show was a part of my life for many years. That character, that voice, that story … they were my home, my pride, my connection to something bigger than myself,” Joss posted on Facebook on April 21. “To not be invited felt like being shut out of a place I helped build.”

In an update about a week later, he posted: “I heard back from Disney, and while the King of the Hill panel will be focusing on series regulars, I truly appreciate them taking the time to reach out to me personally. It means a lot.”

At the event on Friday, video on social media showed, Joss took to a microphone in the crowd and said: “I’m an actor. I see a mic; I use it. I see a wrong; I make it right.” He went on to say, seemingly of his character and himself, “For Johnny, he gave you guys a character because he is that character, he is that person.” Joss was reportedly escorted by security from the event.

“Jonathan Joss brought King of the Hill’s ‘John Redcorn’ to life for over a dozen seasons, including in the upcoming revival,” show creators Mike Judge, Greg Daniels, and Saladin Patterson said in a statement, according to Variety. “His voice will be missed at ‘King of the Hill,’ and we extend our deepest condolences to Jonathan’s friends and family.”