Jonathan Joss Gonzales, known for his role as John Redcorn on “King of the Hill,” died in a gun-related incident. A neighbor shot and killed the 59-year-old actor on Sunday in what appears to be an escalating feud. The story that is coming forward as the dust settles is one that is alarming LGBTQ+ people in San Antonio and across the country. Here’s what we know so far about the tragic death of the beloved actor.

Fans are mourning Jonathan Joss Gonzales’s tragic and sudden death

According to reports, a neighbor shot and killed Joss Gonzales on June 1, 2025. The actor’s husband, in a Facebook post, he claims that the deadly attack was homophobic. Tristan Kern de Gonzales revealed that the couple had returned to the home that had burned down and found the remains of one of their beloved dogs. This caused the couple emotional distress that caught the attention of a neighbor, according to de Gonzales.

“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,” de Gonzales claims in his statement. “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 added: “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.”

Social media users quickly circulated the statement condemning the killing. Many immediately pointed to the statement as proof of a hate crime based on the couples’ sexual orientation. Yet, San Antonio Police Department has not found evidence to support the claim.

San Antonio Police Department denies any evidence of a hate crime so far

“SAPD Homicide is currently investigating the murder of Mr. Jonathan Joss,” reads a post by SAPD on X (formerly Twitter). “Despite online claims of this being a hate crime, currently the investigation has found no evidence to indicate that Mr. Joss’s murder was related to his sexual orientation.”

Police detained a suspect, Sigfredo Alvarez Ceja,56, Joss Gonzales’s neighbor. Authorities charged the neighbor with first-degree murder. According to People, police confirm that there is no evidence currently that would justify hate crime enhancements. That could change if new evidence emerges.

A conflicting picture of Joss Gonzales emerges from neighbors

Some neighbors have come forward with claims that Joss Gonzales would regularly pace around the neighborhood with weapons. According to KENS5, neighbors have made numerous calls for help with the ongoing feud between Joss Gonzales and Alvarez Ceja, but help never materialized. Despite multiple calls to San Antonio, neighbors claim the feud continued to escalate with no intervention from authorities.

“I’ve been here six years and when we moved in, it was already going on, so it’s just been years of feud with these two and I mean I’m not taking nobody’s side because I do have reports on both of them but nothing got done,” a neighbor identified as Gina told KENS5.

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