Variety was informed by San Antonio police that Jonathan Joss, who portrayed John Redcorn in the television series King of the Hill, was shot and killed on Sunday. He was fifty-nine.
Around 7 p.m. on Sunday, San Antonio police were called to a house where a gunshot was taking place. After being shot several times, they discovered Joss close to the road when they got to the site.
Joss was declared dead at the site despite the police’s best efforts to save his life until the arrival of the medics. After escaping in a car, the gunman was apprehended by police a block away and charged with murder.
The inquiry is still in progress. According to the news outlet TMZ, Joss was shot by a neighbour following a fight.
“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,” de Gonzales wrote.
“Throughout that time, we were harassed regularly by individuals who made it clear they did not accept our relationship. Much of the harassment was openly homophobic. When we returned to the site to check our mail, we discovered the skull of one of our dogs and its harness placed in clear view. This caused both of us severe emotional distress. We began yelling and crying in response to the pain of what we saw. 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. 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.”
From Season 2 to Season 13 of “King of the Hill,” Joss provided the voice of John Redcorn. She has already recorded lines for the popular animated series’ impending comeback.
Episode 2 of the upcoming Season 14 of the show will feature him, and there may be additional episodes after that. (Joss replaced original actor Victor Aaron, who passed away in a car accident in 1996.)
Joss was last seen in public on Friday at the ATX Television Festival in Austin, when she participated in a reunion/revival panel for “King of the Hill.”