"Shouldn’t have done it" - San Antonio Police Chief admits it was 'way too soon' to rule out hate crime in Jonathan Joss' murder

San Antonio Police Chief William McManus, in a press conference held on June 5, revealed that the Parks and Recreation actor, Jonathan Joss's murder has no evidence of a hate crime. Joss was killed during a dispute with their former neighbor in San Antonio, Texas, on June 1.

Jonathan Joss' partner, Tristan Kern De Gonzales, took to Joss' Facebook page to mention that he was present when Jess was shot and claimed that the incident was a result of homophobia. In the post, Tristan said,

"My husband Jonathan Joss and I were involved in a shooting while checking the mail at the site of our former home. That 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."

Tristan added that throughout the time they spent in their residence, they were "harassed" regularly by people who "made it clear" that "they did not accept our relationship",

"Much of the harassment was openly homophobic."

The post noted that Jonathan Joss and Gonzales allegedly found remains of one of their dogs left out for them to see when they visited the property that day, which caused them "severe emotional distress." When the two began "yelling and crying" after noticing the remains, a man approached them, started yelling violent homophobic slurs at them, raised a gun from his lap, and fired.

Gonzales clarified that the two had no weapons and that they weren't "threatening anyone." As the man fired, Jonathan pushed Gonzales away, saving his life.

Authorities say, "investigation has found no evidence whatsoever" on hate crime being the reason behind Jonathan Joss' murder

During a June 5 press conference, San Antonio Police Chief William McManus addressed Jonathan Joss' husband, Tristan Kern De Gonzales's Facebook post, which alleged that Joss' murder was a result of a homophobic hate crime.

However, McManus said that their department has found "no evidence whatsoever," and ruling out hate crime was "way, way, way premature." McManus also addressed concerns of the LGBTQ+ community and said,

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"We understand that many in the LGBTQ+ community are feeling anxious and concerned. A lot of it has to do with that premature statement that was released, and again, I own that shouldn't have done it."

Sigfredo Ceja Alvarez, 56, is accused by police and was charged with murder. He is walking free after being released from police custody under full house arrest on a $200,000 bond on June 2.

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