Forum on Joss slaying highlights rift between San Antonio’s queer community and SAPD

The San Antonio Police Department held a joint forum with Pride San Antonio Thursday evening to address concerns about the recent shooting death of Jonathan Joss, a queer, indigenous actor known for the role John Redcorn on King of the Hill. However, the evening’s often-tense exchanges between LGBTQ+ community members and SAPD Chief William McManus indicate a broader issue with police response to threats against queer people of San Antonio.

Community members, politicians and press gathered at the Woodlawn Pointe community center to discuss Joss’ shooting last weekend by a neighbor and SAPD’s response to the crime. The meeting highlighted what many who spoke up on behalf of the queer community see as dismissive or even antagonistic response by some San Antonio officers in the face of attacks on LGBTQ+ residents.

It’s an old wound reopened by what many in the crowd saw as recurring themes that emerged around Joss’ slaying.

Just that morning, SAPD Chief William McManus admitted at a press conference that the department was “premature” in issuing a press statement Monday saying it found “no evidence” of a hate crime in the shooting. The statement was a touchpoint throughout Thursday’s forum.

During the gathering, members of the queer community shared their own experiences with homophobia, which they said they’d experienced both from other San Antonio residents and SAPD personnel.

Bexar County Court Judge Rosie Speedlin Gonzalez, an out lesbian, accused the department of failing to take seriously threats made against her over her sexuality. She added that she’s also been targeted by a member of SAPD who “has a hard-on” for her.

“It’s systemic, and because it’s a systemic problem, that behavior has been normalized to the point that they think they can do that to an elected official like me and not face any consequences — because they’re not facing any consequences!” Gonzalez said.

Joss was allegedly shot by a neighbor while checking the mail at his former residence on the South Side, which had burned down in January. Following Sunday’s shooting, Joss’ husband, Tristan Kern de Gonzales, said the alleged shooter, Sigfredo Ceja Alvarez, who’s since been charged with first-degree murder, hurled homophobic insults before opening fire.

Kern de Gonzales suggested the shooting was a hate crime, adding that Joss had filed many reports with police over the years about homophobic threats against him.

During the forum, McManus declined to delve into details and evidence surrounding the case. Nor did he explain why the department issued Monday’s statement in such apparent haste, prompting a national media firestorm.

However, McManus said his department will work to improve how it handles such cases going forward. He also committed to conducting a thorough investigation of Joss’ shooting death.

“We’ll gather all the facts that led up to this day, and we’ll present that to the DA, and it will have all the information regarding the offense itself and any information that may designate it a hate crime,” McManus told the crowd.

McManus also clarified that it’s up to the judge — not the police —to apply a hate crime designation to an indictment, which would increase the potential penalties a suspect faces.

In addition to the moments of pushback, the meeting held just as many moments of gratitude on behalf of the gay community toward McManus, who served as Grand Marshal of the San Antonio Pride Parade in 2007.

During his speech, McManus recalled shrugging off criticism with aplomb after accepting the title. Despite his personal rapport and record of apparent allyship with the LGBTQ+ community, some at the forum said SAPD’s internal culture doesn’t always align with those values.

One community member shared that she’s filed dozens of reports to SAPD about a neighbor’s threatening and racist behavior — all to no avail. Yet another said her brother was killed in a homophobic attack two and a half years ago and she’s still waiting for answers from local authorities.

One man, part of a research team at Trinity University, shared figures that underline the current of mistrust between the queer community and SAPD.

According to the survey of over 800 members of San Antonio’s LGBTQ+ community, just 1 in 5 respondents said they were comfortable seeking help from SAPD. Thirty-five percent of respondents said that they had been openly called slurs by the police, and 70% of transgender respondents said that they had been intentionally misgendered by officers.

“I think the community was heard, but being heard and having that applied in practice, that’s the second step,” mayoral candidate Gina Ortiz Jones, who’s lesbian, told the Current after attending the forum. “I think the rest of the LGBTQ community is going to look forward to a full investigation, which the chief committed to.”

When asked whether she agrees that the problems described by forum attendees are systemic, Jones said the numbers speak for themselves.

“I think the data is clear about where the differences are between how senior leaders think a process is working and how people are experiencing that system,” Jones said.

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This article appears in May 29 – Jun 11, 2025.