San Antonio Councilmember Rips Police Department for Swiftly Dismissing Hate Crime Allegations in Jonathan Joss Case

Jalen McKee-Rodriguez of the San Antonio City Council is outraged that the police department ruled out the possibility that the murder of Jonathan Joss was a hate crime before the actor's body was even cold.

On Sunday evening, according to the San Antonio Police Department, Sigfredo Alvarez Ceja, a neighbor to the late King of the Hill and Parks and Recreation star, pulled up to Joss’ property in a vehicle and began arguing with him. Ceja, 56, then drew a rifle and shot Joss multiple times before driving away. When police officers responded to the 911 call about an active shooting, they found Joss dead on the scene, and they swiftly arrested Ceja just one block away from where he allegedly murdered his neighbor. Ceja was charged with felony first-degree murder, telling the arresting officers simply, “I shot him.” Ceja is now out on bail.

But according to Joss’ husband, Tristen Kern de Gonzales, the official report on the murder is far from the whole story. Shortly after the shooting, Gonzales posted on Joss' Facebook claiming that his husband's murder followed years of homophobic harassment from their neighbors, which San Antonio Police Department failed to investigate before it was too late.

McKee-Rodgriguez, who represents the city's second district, ed Gonzales' of the murder and the lead-up to the tragedy, taking to Twitter earlier this week to criticize his police department's handling of the case. McKee-Rodriguez declared, “This is a horrific look. SAPD must do better.”

The local San Antonio news site MySA reached out to Bexar County Criminal District Attorney Joe Gonzales for a comment on the hate crime allegations surrounding Joss' murder, and Gonzales' office submitted this statement on the matter: "Our heart goes out to the loved ones of Jonathan Joss, and we are incredibly sorry for their loss. Because the investigation is still pending, we cannot make any determination regarding the nature of the case at this time."

Meanwhile, Pride Center San Antonio is planning a vigil to honor Joss in hopes of "creating a space to grieve, process and collectively come together to mourn the violent loss." The vigil will start on Sunday, June 8th, at 7:00 pm, exactly one week after the murder. “Jonathan was brutally shot by his neighbor in front of his partner. Both Jonathan and his partner Tristan endured years of harassment, discrimination and violence reported to local police,” the Pride Center wrote in an Instagram post about the event, "We demand ability and answers. This was a hate crime, this was an act of violent unchecked homophobia and transphobia."