Many neighbors said Jonathan Joss and neighbor Sigfredo Ceja Alvarez traded threats for years. On Sunday night, Alvarez was accused of fatally shooting Joss.
SAN ANTONIO — The popular voice actor Jonathan Joss, a San Antonio native who performed on “King of the Hill” and other shows, was shot to death Sunday near the site where his home had stood in a south-side neighborhood.
His neighbors are painting a picture of the man behind the character as police charge his neighbor with his murder.
San Antonio police say a long-running neighborhood feud turned deadly Sunday night on Dorsey Drive off Moursund Road.
Neighbors say this was a long time coming.
Joss, whose legal name is Jonathan Joss Gonzales, had lived at a home on Dorsey Drive until a devastating fire earlier this year.
Neighbors told KENS 5 he was at the site Sunday night checking his mail, which he did regularly, when something went terribly wrong.
A video shared by a neighbor who was present shows a man, who they identified as Joss, pacing up and down the street with a pitchfork and screaming.
The neighbors say it was common behavior over the years for Joss to scream while carrying weapons, and even though they say they didn’t like it, several neighbors said they were surprised when a man who lives just 50 yards away responded to the situation with a gun around 6 p.m. Sunday.
They say Joss was shot and died in his own driveway, and they say this was a situation that could have been avoided.
“Basically we called. We cried out wolf to the City of San Antonio. To 311. To arson investigators about a neighborhood feud several times and nothing ever got done,” one neighbor said.
Police accuse Sigfredo Ceja Alvarez of pulling the trigger, and he is now charged with murder. His bond has been set at $200,000. At last check, he remained behind bars.
Many neighbors said Joss and Alvarez had a long history of trouble. They say both men have been showing weapons and trading threats for years.
A neighbor who called herself Gina said “I’ve been here six years and when we moved in, it was already going on, so it’s just been years of feud with these two and I mean I’m not taking nobody’s side because I do have reports on both of them but nothing got done.”
Gina said lots of neighbors have called for help many times “This man should be alive today, but nothing got done, you know.”
San Antonio Police counter that claim by saying the area’s SAFFE unit has been mediating the dispute for more than one year. SAFFE is an acronym for San Antonio Fear Free Environment.
Neighbors like Gina said they’ve felt anything but safe.
“I have bullet holes in my house and not once did they even try to look at it to see, anything… no investigations, nothing, so safety is a big concern in this neighborhood,” Gina added.
Gina said the feud took many forms, “Weapons, everything, gun shootings at all times of the hours of the night,” Gina said, adding the men didn’t shoot at each other “No, just shooting rounds at their own property and stuff. You could just hear the multiple rounds just blowing off on both ends, both ends and he would be yelling a lot.”
One neighbor said it was common to see Joss on his property with a crossbow while yelling about various complaints.
Many said they have extensive cell phone video of previous incidents between the two men.
The log of police visits is also extensive. In addition to the fire that destroyed the actor’s home in January 2025, there are calls for disturbances, threats, criminal mischief, mental health checks, shots fired, shots heard, a knife disturbance and more.
After a social media post indicating the ongoing troubles were related to the actor’s personal life, SAPD issued the following statement.
“Our investigation has found no evidence whatsoever to indicate that the Mr. Joss’s murder was related to his sexual orientation. We take such allegations very seriously and have thoroughly reviewed all available information. Should any new evidence come to light, we will charge the suspect accordingly.”
With regard to the murder charge, the next court appearance for Alvarez is listed as August 19.
If he is able to make bond, special conditions have been set which include full house arrest with a GPS monitor, random drug and alcohol testing and no possession of firearms.
Despite the history between the two men, neighbors said they’re surprised by the tragic turn of events because these men had been going their separate ways for years without critical incident… until Sunday night.
So many people here, who grew up with Joss and called him the class clown back in his days at McCullum High School, say they’re sad that his career, which was bright, is over.
“He was really a loyal person. Funny. Anything you could ask for,” a neighbor said. “But as everything would happen, you know, you get older, wiser, and then you become rock bottom where they ask you to stop filming.”