CNN
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Nick Offerman has spoken out about the shooting death of his “Parks and Recreation” costar, actor Jonathan Joss.
“The cast has been texting together about it all day and we’re just heartbroken,” Offerman said in a statement to People. “Jonathan was such a sweet guy and we loved having him as our Chief Ken Hotate. A terrible tragedy.”
CNN has reached out to reps for Offerman for additional comment.
On “Parks and Recreation,” Joss played the tribal elder of the Wamapoke Native American tribe and owner of the Wamapoke Casino.
He was fatally shot near his homeover the weekend, according to police in San Antonio, Texas.
Police were dispatched Sunday to a location on Dorsey Drive in San Antonio, Texas, for a reported shooting in progress, where officers found Joss, 59, “near the roadway of the location” and “attempted life saving measures,” authorities said.
The actor was pronounced dead by emergency service responders.
A suspect has been arrested on suspicion of murder and an investigation is ongoing, police said.
Joss’ husband Tristan Kern de Gonzales confirmed his death in a text message to the Associated Press. He said he and Joss were approached and threatened by a man with a gun while checking the mail at Joss’ home, which in January was damaged by a fire that also killed their three dogs.
“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,” de Gonzales said.
He and Joss, who married in February, had previously faced “openly homophobic” harassment, de Gonzales said. The person who killed Joss yelled “violent homophobic slurs” before opening fire, he added.
“He was murdered by someone who could not stand the sight of two men loving each other,” de Gonzales said.
“Despite online claims of this being a hate crime, currently the investigation has found no evidence to indicate that the Mr. Joss’s murder was related to his sexual orientation,” San Antonio police said in a statement posted to social media on Monday night.
Beyond his work on “Parks and Recreation,” Joss voiced the character of John Redcorn on “King of the Hill.” Some of his other credits include appearances in “Ray Donovan,” “Tulsa King” and the 2016 film “The Magnificent Seven.”
