The ‘Parks and Recreation’ actor was allegedly shot and killed by a neighbor
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NEED TO KNOW
- Cynthia Nixon is mourning the loss of Jonathan Joss while demanding answers for his death in an Instagram post shared on Tuesday, June 3
- According to the police report obtained by PEOPLE, Joss was allegedly “intentionally and knowingly” shot during a dispute with his neighbor on Sunday, June 1
- The Sex and the City star posted, “We will not let this stand,” in response to the incident
Cynthia Nixon is mourning the loss of Jonathan Joss and calling for answers after the actor was allegedly shot and killed in San Antonio on Sunday, June 1.
In a post shared to Instagram on Tuesday, June 3, the Sex and the City actress, 59, said she was “devastated” to learn that Joss, whom she described as a “wonderfully talented actor and musician,” was fatally shot on Sunday, June 1.
She added that she and her family were big fans of Parks and Recreation. Joss, also 59, had a recurring role as Chief Ken Hotate on the sitcom
“He and his husband had been repeatedly harassed and worse by homophobic neighbors who recently burned their house to the ground,” Nixon’s post continued.
Hours after the news broke on Sunday, his spouse, Tristan Kern de Gonzales, took to Joss’ Facebook page to reveal that he was present when Joss was shot, and claimed the issue was rooted in homophobia.
“The men were collecting mail at their old address when a former neighbor came at them shouting homophobic hate and shot Jonathan to death,” the Gilded Age actress wrote.
Nixon said Joss died protecting the person he loved: “His husband says he would also have been shot had Jonathan not pushed him out of the way.”
She ended her post calling out local authorities.
“The San Antonio police force is saying there is “no evidence” that this was a hate crime,” Nixon wrote. “We will not let this stand.”
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In a statement shared to the SAPD’s Facebook account on Monday, June 2, the department said there was “no evidence” to support the theory of Joss’ death being the result of a hate crime.
“SAPD Homicide is currently investigating the murder of Mr. Jonathan Joss. 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. 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,” their statement read.
Sigfredo Alvarez Cejam, 56, who fled the scene in a vehicle, was later detained by police and named as a suspect. He was subsequently booked for murder, and the investigation is still ongoing, per police.
A police report obtained by PEOPLE on Tuesday, June 3, details that Ceja admitted that he “intentionally and knowingly discharged a weapon” at Joss.
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According to Kern de Gonzales, before Joss was killed, their former 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.”
“We reported these threats to law enforcement multiple times, and nothing was done,” he said in his online statement.
He also claimed they were “regularly” harassed by people who made it clear they “did not accept our relationship.”
Joss, who was of Native American ancestry, was also known for his voice role as John Redcorn in King of the Hill, which aired in the late ‘90s and early 2000s.