Overview

• Chief William McManus admitted that the department’s earlier assertion of no link to Joss’s sexual orientation was premature and vowed to pursue potential hate crime evidence.
• Investigators are examining claims that the shooter yelled homophobic slurs before firing, which could lead to sentencing enhancements under Texas hate crime statutes.
• Neighbor Sigfredo Ceja Alvarez, 56, has been charged with first-degree murder in the June 1 shooting and is free on a $200,000 bond.
• Joss and his husband faced previous harassment, including a January fire at their Dorsey Drive home that remains under arson investigation.
• Police records show roughly 70 calls over the past two years for disturbances in the neighborhood involving Joss and his neighbor.