SAN ANTONIO – Pride Center San Antonio hosted a vigil for actor Jonathon Joss on Sunday, a week after he was shot and killed at his South Side property.
The vigil took place from 7-9 p.m. on Sunday at Crockett Park.
Pride Center San Antonio said the vigil was intended to create a space for the community to grieve the loss of Joss.
“He was just a long-time friend of ours, and we’ve always been fans of ‘King of the Hill,’” vigil attendee Brittany Melgar said.
Melgar and her boyfriend, John Prator, said they were set to be married by Joss.
“Saturday, when he was last in Austin, he had just agreed to be the officiant at our wedding, which was always a dream of ours,” Melgar said.
“It was really cool to see him, you know, his humorous side come out, and he even played a couple songs on his guitar, and we ended up driving him back to the hotel and hanging out with him at the hotel,” Prator said.
The San Antonio Police Department is still investigating the motive behind Joss’ death.
In an Instagram post, Pride Center San Antonio said Joss’ death was a “hate crime” and that it was “an act of violent unchecked homophobia and transphobia.”
Initially, SAPD said in a Facebook post that there was no evidence the deadly shooting was motivated by Joss’ sexual orientation. The actor was openly gay.
“I want Tristan, the widower, to know that community is here and we do care,” Jennifer Rios, a vigil attendee, said. “We are gonna follow the story, and we’re gonna make sure that we get justice for Jonathan.”
>> What we know about the death of Jonathan Joss in San Antonio, ongoing feud with suspected shooter
However, during a news conference Thursday, SAPD Chief William McManus backtracked the Monday statement, calling it “way, way, way premature.”
While McManus spoke at the news conference, Joss’ husband, Tristan Kern de Gonzales, reaffirmed that he believes the actor’s death was a “hate crime.”
Sigfredo Ceja Alvarez is accused of fatally shooting Joss on Sunday, June 1. He was arrested on a murder charge and was released from the Bexar County Adult Detention Center on Wednesday, June 4 after posting a $200,000 bail — an amount recommended by the district attorney’s office.
“We are coming together to show the power in community and the power that we have as a voice to say we’re supportive of each other and we do not stand or tolerate homophobia, transphobia, harassment, discrimination,” Erica with Pride Center San Antonio said during the vigil.
In Texas, according to McManus, hate crimes are “not separate charges.” Instead, a hate crime determination would be made by a county’s district attorney’s office, in this case, the Bexar County District Attorney’s Office.
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