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CRIME
The Shocking Disconnect in Jonathan Joss Shooting
How can police say there’s no evidence of a hate crime?
Jonathan Joss was shot and killed on Sunday 1st June by a neighbour screaming ‘violent homophobic slurs’ at him and his husband.
As the neighbour opened fire, Jonathan pushed his husband out of the way, saving his life. Jonathan was pronounced dead at the scene.
Jonathan was the voice of Native American character John Redcorn in the cartoon series ‘King of the Hill’ and also played tribal elder Chief Ken Hotate in ‘Parks and Recreation’.
Jonathan and his husband, Tristan Kern de Gonzales, had faced two years of openly homophobic abuse from neighbours, who had repeatedly threatened to burn down their Texas home. Their home was destroyed by fire earlier this year in a suspected arson attack, killing all three of their dogs inside.
Tristan has reported on social media that, “We reported these threats to law enforcement multiple times, and nothing was done.”
On Sunday evening, the couple had returned to the shell of their old home to check for mail and were distraught to find the skull of one of their beloved dogs, along with their harness, displayed tauntingly in front of the property.