Jonathan Joss, best known for King of the Hill and Parks and Recreation, was shot and killed in San Antonio, Texas, on June 1. His husband, Tristan Kern de Gonzales, shared a heartbreaking statement right after.
He said the man who shot Jonathan was yelling hateful slurs and had a history of threatening them. The couple had been dealing with ongoing harassment for years, even after their house was burned down.
RELATED STORIES
The day started like any other
“My husband Jonathan Joss and I were involved in a shooting while checking the mail at the site of our former home,” Tristan wrote.
He explained their house had burned down after more than two years of threats. People in the area had warned them they’d set it on fire. Tristan said they’d told law enforcement more than once, but nothing really came of it.
They were targeted for being a couple
Tristan also said the people around them made it pretty obvious they weren’t okay with the two of them being together.
“Throughout that time we were harassed regularly by individuals who made it clear they did not accept our relationship,” he said. “Much of the harassment was openly homophobic.”
A cruel discovery made everything worse
That day, when they stopped by the property, they saw something horrifying. Tristan said they found the remains of one of their dogs.
It was left out in the open, right where they’d see it. He said it caused them “severe emotional distress.”
Things went downhill in seconds
Tristan explained they both broke down. “We began yelling and crying in response to the pain of what we saw,” he wrote.
While they were still reacting, a man came toward them. “He started yelling violent homophobic slurs at us. He then raised a gun from his lap and fired.”
Jonathan stepped in to protect Tristan
“Jonathan and I had no weapons. We were not threatening anyone. We were grieving,” Tristan wrote. “We were standing side by side. When the man fired, Jonathan pushed me out of the way. He saved my life.”
That moment changed everything. Tristan was left alive, but without the man he loved.
They had just started their life together
The two had only been married since Valentine’s Day. “He gave me more love in our time together than most people ever get,” Tristan said.
They were newlyweds, barely started planning their future. They thought they had time.
The man couldn’t stand seeing love
“He was murdered by someone who could not stand the sight of two men loving each other,” Tristan wrote. “I was with him when he passed. I told him how much he was loved.”
He also shared that Jonathan really cared about everyone who supported him. “To everyone who supported him, his fans, his friends, know that he valued you deeply. He saw you as family.”
Tristan wants to keep his memory alive
“Jonathan saved my life,” he ended the post. “I will carry that forward. I will protect what he built.”
He made it clear he wants to honor their life together and keep Jonathan’s legacy going.
No funeral plans yet
In a later update, Tristan said there were “absolutely no plans yet” for a memorial. He promised to keep people posted.
“There’s not a need to donate to the gofundme,” he wrote. “But I want everyone to remember the joy and love Jonathan has brought and will continue to bring forever.”
He said his family in San Antonio was taking care of him for now. He just wanted people to talk about the injustice they faced. “We had so many beautiful plans for the future.”
Police say they’re still looking into it
Despite everything Tristan shared, police are still investigating what happened. In a statement on X, they said they’re trying to figure out if this was a hate crime.
But for now, they said they “found no evidence to indicate that Mr. Joss’s murder was related to his sexual orientation.”
Jonathan spoke out just days before it happened
Just two days before the shooting, Jonathan showed up at a King of the Hill panel in Austin. He stood up and shared his pain.
“I’m an actor,” he said. “I see a mic, I use it. I see a wrong, I make it right. I take a breath, I want to breathe.” He told the crowd, “My house burned down three months ago because I’m gay.”
One of the show’s creators pointed out that Jonathan played John Redcorn and was supposed to return in the reboot. He never got the chance.
