San Antonio Police Chief William McManus offered a full-throated mea culpa to the LGBTQ+ community on Thursday ... saying his department made a mistake by so quickly dismissing the hate crime allegation in the shooting death of Jonathan Joss . Alamy

The "King of the Hill" voice actor was shot to death Sunday night on his own property in the city, allegedly by neighbor Sigfredo Ceja Alvarez during a heated exchange ... but Joss' husband, Tristan Kern de Gonzales , called the shooting a homophobic hate crime . The next day ... police said in a statement there was no evidence of a hate crime . Bexar County Sheriff’s Office

Chief McManus told reporters on Thursday that the announcement was "way too premature" ... and he took full responsibility. In the same breath .

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