NEED TO KNOW
- Nick Offerman shared a statement with PEOPLE honoring Jonathan Joss one day after his shocking death
- Offerman said that he and the Parks and Recreation cast had been in contact “all day” as they mourned the loss of Joss, who played Chief Ken Hotate in the series
- Joss was fatally shot in San Antonio, Texas on Sunday, June 1, during a dispute with his neighbor, who has since been booked for murder
Jonathan Joss will not be forgotten.
After the actor was shot and killed during a dispute at his property in San Antonio, Texas on Sunday, June 1, his Parks and Recreation family is remembering his legacy.
In a statement to PEOPLE on June 2, Nick Offerman revealed that Joss’ former costars have been leaning on another as they process the loss.
“The cast has been texting together about it all day and we’re just heartbroken,” Offerman wrote. “Jonathan was such a sweet guy and we loved having him as our Chief Ken Hotate. A terrible tragedy.”
Joss appeared in a recurring role as the leader of the Native American Wamapoke Tribe. He spent five years on the beloved sitcom, which starred major names such as Offerman, Amy Poehler, Rashida Jones, Chris Pratt, Aubrey Plaza, Adam Scott and more.
On the morning of June 2, PEOPLE confirmed that the King of the Hill voice actor was dead at age 59 after being shot by his neighbor. According to police, authorities responded to a shooting in progress at around 7 p.m., where they found Joss lying “near the roadway.”
They attempted to administer “life saving measures” while waiting for EMS, but Joss was pronounced dead at the scene when paramedics arrived.
The suspect, who had fled in a vehicle, was detained shortly after. He has been identified as 56-year-old Sigfredo Alvarez Cejam, and PEOPLE can confirm that he is a neighbor of Joss.
Cejam has now been booked for murder, and the investigation is still ongoing, per police.
Joss’ husband, Tristan Kern de Gonzales, claimed he was present when the incident took place in a lengthy post on Joss’ Facebook page. In the statement, Gonzales claimed their house had burned down three months prior “after over two years of threats” that allegedly went unaddressed by law enforcement.
“Throughout that time we were harassed regularly by individuals who made it clear they did not accept our relationship,” he shared. “Much of the harassment was openly homophobic.”
According to Gonzales, he and Joss went to the property to get their mail when they saw the skull of one of their dogs out in the open, causing them “severe emotional distress.”
“We began yelling and crying in response to the pain of what we saw,” he explained. “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.”
He continued: “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.”
Gonzales and the King of the Hill star got married on Valentine’s Day this year, and he said they were trying to live life as “newlyweds” who were “planning our future.” He also credited Joss for giving him “more love in our time together than most people ever get.”
“He was murdered by someone who could not stand the sight of two men loving each other,” Gonzales wrote. “I was with him when he passed. I told him how much he was loved. To everyone who supported him, his fans, his friends, know that he valued you deeply. He saw you as family. My focus now is on protecting Jonathan’s legacy and honoring the life we built together.”
“Jonathan saved my life,” the post concluded. “I will carry that forward. I will protect what he built.”
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PEOPLE has reached out to the San Antonio Police Department for comment.
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