Nick Offerman offered a glimpse at how the Parks and Recreation cast has been mourning Jonathan Joss‘ shocking death.
Offerman, 54, released a statement to People on Monday, June 2, about how Joss’ former costars have come together in the wake of his passing at age 59, saying, “The cast has been texting together about it all day and we’re just heartbroken.”
He added: “Jonathan was such a sweet guy and we loved having him as our Chief Ken Hotate. A terrible tragedy.”
Chris Pratt also addressed Joss’ death, writing via Instagram, “Damn. RIP Jonathan. Always such a kind dude. Sad to see. Prayers up. Hug your loved ones.”
News broke on Monday that Joss was killed after an alleged altercation with a neighbor in San Antonio, Texas. Authorities were dispatched on Sunday, June 1, to a shooting where they found Joss lying “near the roadway.”
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There were “life saving measures” attempted while waiting for EMS, but Joss was ultimately pronounced dead at the scene when paramedics arrived. Officers detained their suspect, Sigfredo Alvarez Ceja, after he initially fled the scene in a vehicle. Ceja was booked for murder and the investigation is still ongoing.
After Joss’ death, his husband, Tristan Kern de Gonzales, claimed the incident was the result of a hate crime.
“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,” read a statement shared via Facebook on Monday. “We reported these threats to law enforcement multiple times and nothing was done.”
Kern de Gonzales alleged he and Joss were the targets of “openly homophobic” harassment. When visiting their former home, Kern de Gonzales recalled seeing “the skull” of one of their dogs and its harness, which caused “severe emotional distress.”
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“We began yelling and crying in response to the pain of what we saw,” the statement continued. “While we were doing this a man approached us. He started yelling violent homophobic slurs at us. 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.”
Kern de Gonzales’ emotional post honored Joss’ memory, adding, “To everyone who supported him, his fans, his friends, know that he valued you deeply. He saw you as family. My focus now is on protecting Jonathan’s legacy and honoring the life we built together. If your concern is how someone coped with trauma or how loudly they speak when recounting injustice and being ignored by authorities then you never truly cared about my husband. Jonathan saved my life. I will carry that forward. I will protect what he built.”
Joss is best known for voicing John Redcorn in King of the Hill, which he took over after the original actor, Victor Arron, died in a car accident in 1996. The actor also appeared in Parks and Recreation, Tulsa King, Ray Donovan, True Grit, The Magnificent Seven and more.
