Chris Pratt Mourns Parks & Rec Co-Star Jonathan Joss Amid Shocking Twist

Chris Pratt has paid an emotional tribute to his murdered former Parks & Recreation co-star Jonathan Joss after he was allegedly shot by his neighbor.

The late actor, 59, died in San Antonio, Texas, on Sunday after a reported altercation  with Sigfredo Alvarez Ceja, TMZ reported. 

Ceja was captured by law enforcement shortly after fleeing the scene and has been booked on suspicion of murder. He is being held on $200K bond. 

Joss notably portrayed the character of Chief Ken Hotate in the beloved NBC sitcom over five episodes, with Pratt taking to his Instagram stories in June 2 to laud his late friend.

Pratt, 45, wrote: ‘Damn. RIP Jonathan. Always such a kind dude. He played Ken Hotate in Parks and was also in Mag 7. Sad to see. Prayers up. Hug your loved ones.’

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Chris Pratt has paid an emotional tribute to his murdered former Parks & Recreation co-star Jonathan Joss (R) after he was allegedly shot by his neighbor 

The late actor, 59, died in San Antonio, Texas , on Sunday after a reported altercation with Sigfredo Alvarez Ceja; mugshot of Alvarez Ceja seen above 

Joss’ husband has since claimed the star’s death was a homophobia-fueled murder – although in a new twist, police have dismissed this theory. 

A statement from a San Antonio PD spokesman read: ‘Despite online claims of this being a hate crime, currently the investigation has found no evidence to indicate that Mr. Joss’s murder was related to his sexual orientation.’

This comes after fellow Parks & Recreation star Nick Offerman broke his silence about the tragic killing.

‘The cast has been texting together about it all day and we’re just heartbroken,’ Nick said in a statement to People on Tuesday. ‘Jonathan was such a sweet guy and we loved having him as our Chief Ken Hotate. A terrible tragedy.’ 

Joss was pronounced dead on Sunday when paramedics were unable to revive him after neighbor Sigfredo Alvarez Ceja allegedly shot him several times following an argument. 

The San Antonio Police Department captured the suspect in his car a block from the scene after he fled, and he’s being held on $200K bond. 

Last Saturday, Jonathan — who boasts 9K social media followers — shared a video of himself in good spirits, urging fans to visit him at Tribe Comics and Games in Austin, TX for a signing.

On Sunday morning, Joss thanked fans on Facebook for helping him secure a ride back to San Antonio.

The Our Lady of the Lake University grad’s last IMDb-credited gig was voicing characters for CD Projekt RED’s video game Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty in 2023 alongside Keanu Reeves and Idris Elba.

Pratt, 45, wrote: ‘ Damn. RIP Jonathan. Always such a kind dude. He played Ken Hotate in Parks and was also in Mag 7. Sad to see. Prayers up. Hug your loved ones’

Pratt is pictured as Andy in Parks & Recreation season 1 in 20089

Nick Offerman has broken his silence about the tragic passing of his Parks And Recreation costar Joss; seen in March in LA

In a statement to People on Tuesday, Nick expressed: ‘The cast has been texting together about it all day and we’re just heartbroken. Jonathan was such a sweet guy and we loved having him as our Chief Ken Hotate. A terrible tragedy’; Joss (right) and Poehler (left) seen in NBC series 

Joss was pronounced dead on Sunday when paramedics were unable to revive him after neighbor Sigfredo Alvarez Ceja allegedly shot him several times following an argument

Jonathan also voiced the character Healing in Paul McComas and Holly Trasti’s animated drama Unplugged alongside the late Louis Gossett Jr., the late Ed Asner, Christina Ricci and Jeri Ryan.

But Joss is best known for voicing musician and healer John Redcorn, who embarked on a 14-year-long affair with anchorwoman Nancy Hicks-Gribble (Ashley Gardner), on the Fox animated sitcom from seasons 2–13.

Last Friday, the charismatic actor of Native descent crashed the King of the Hill reunion at ATX TV Festival in Austin and with co-creators Mike Judge and Greg Daniels as well as actors Pamela Adlon, Lauren Tom and Toby Huss.

On January 23, Jonathan suffered the loss of his three beloved dogs when his childhood home, that his father built in 1957, burned to the ground.

Joss also lost his car in the blaze, but the GoFundMe organized by Logan Kostroun successfully raised $10,721 from a $15K goal.

But neighbors told TMZ on Monday that his house burned down because he attempted to use a BBQ pit to heat it after the city allegedly ‘shut off his power when the property was deemed unsafe and uninhabitable.’

On Monday, the star’s widow Tristan Kern de Gonzales — whom he wed on Valentine’s Day — claimed he was murdered after they were ‘harassed’ for two years by ‘openly homophobic’ individuals who ‘did not accept our relationship.’

‘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,’ the South Carolina native recalled on Facebook.

‘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.’

He continued, ‘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.’

Tristan added, ‘My focus now is on protecting Jonathan’s legacy and honoring the life we built together.’

But Joss is best known for voicing musician and healer John Redcorn (right), who embarked on a 14-year-long affair with anchorwoman Nancy Hicks-Gribble (Ashley Gardner), on the Fox animated sitcom from seasons 2-13

On Monday, the star’s widow Tristan Kern de Gonzales – whom he wed on Valentine’s Day – claimed he was murdered after they were ‘harassed’ for two years by ‘openly homophobic’ individuals who ‘did not accept our relationship’

Tristan added, ‘My focus now is on protecting Jonathan’s legacy and honoring the life we built together’

However San Antonio PD have said they currently have no evidence Joss’ murder was a hate crime 

Jonathan is also remembered for his role as Chief Ken Hotate in five episodes of NBC’s mockumentary sitcom Parks and Recreation spanning 2011–2015.

Joss had small roles in TV shows like Walker Texas Ranger, Charmed, ER, Ray Donovan and Tulsa King.

He also acted in films like True Grit, The Magnificent Seven, Pocahontas 2: Journey to a New World and Johnson Family Vacation.

Fans have since taken to social media to mourn over the loss of Joss and also expressed their condolences. 

One penned on X, ‘Such a tremendous loss. His talent and spirit will be deeply missed,’ and another wrote, ‘Rest in peace. So so sad.’ 

‘Iconic voice, such an awful way to go. RIP,’ a fan shared, while one typed, ‘RIP Jonathan Joss. Voice of one of the best and funniest characters in King of the Hill.’

Another commented, ‘RIP to a legend, I haven’t watched parks and rec for a long time but I had no idea he played the Casino owner…

‘Literally one of the funniest episodes and side characters. What a legend,’ they continued.