Police investigate whether homophobia plays a role in Hill actor’s king of killing
Investigators are studying whether their sexual orientation is hill Voice actor Jonathan Joss played a role in the shooting death in Texas, withdrawing previous statements about potential motives.
Joss’ husband claimed the man who killed the actor shouted “violent gay slander” before opening fire outside his home in San Antonio on Sunday night. The day after the shooting, the San Antonio Police Department issued a statement saying they found “no evidence that Mr. Jos’ murder was related to his sexual orientation.”
But in a press conference Thursday, San Antonio Police Chief William McManus said the claim was “premature birth” and whether Jos’s sexual orientation played a role in the shooting “is part of the investigation.”
McManus said: “I’m going to have it and say it again, we shouldn’t be doing it at all.
The police chief said many in the 2SLGBTQ+ community “feel anxious and concerned” after the Joss shooting, “many of which are related to the premature statement.”
“Jonathan Joss’ losses were tragic and the LGBTQ+ community felt the worst,” McManus said.
There are no separate hate crime charges in Texas. But if homophobia is found to be the motive of the shooting, a tougher sentence could be imposed at trial under the state’s hate crime laws.
“We collect the facts and then hand them over to the District Attorney’s Office. The designation of hate crimes is then determined at the time of the sentence,” McManus said.
Husband says Jos has faced harassment before
The actor’s home was burned down in January. Joss’ husband, Tristan Kern de Gonzales, said they were there to check the emails on Sunday when a man approached them, pulled out his gun and opened fire.
De Gonzales said in a statement that he and Joss had previously faced harassment, mostly “openly gay.”
Joss’ neighbor Sigfredo Ceja Alvarez is charged with murder in the shooting. Ceja Alvarez has received $200,000 in U.S. bonds.
Ceja Alvarez’s attorney Alfonso Otero did not immediately respond to an email on Thursday.
McManus said that over the past two years, police have been called to Joss’ home and his neighbors, about 70 times related to “neighborhood-type riots.”
“sometimes [Joss] It’s the caller. Other times, the neighbors were calling him. ” McManus said.
McManus said the Mental Health Division of the San Antonio Police Department, as well as a department called Saf, worked with residents to help prevent crime, “had extensive interactions with Mr. Jos, repeatedly worked to mediate conflicts and connect with services he might need.”
McManus said arson investigators are still reviewing the January fire at Joss’ home.
Jos lost all his belongings in the fire and his three dogs were killed.
The actors who worked with Joss and friends and fans in honor of honor.
“His voice will be missed hillWe express our deepest condolences to Jonathan’s friends and family,” said the show’s creator and producer – Mike Judge, Greg Daniels and Saladin Patterson in a statement on an Instagram page about the animated series.
