General Hospital actor Johnny Wactor saved the life of his female co-worker by putting his body in the way when armed car thieves fatally shot him while trying to steal his catalytic converter in Los Angeles Saturday.
Wactor, 37, who appeared in 164 episodes of the soap opera from 2020 to 2022, was leaving his side job at a rooftop bar with a female colleague at around 3:25am Saturday in the area of West Pico Boulevard and South Hope Street, when he saw the three men near his vehicle.
Believing he was being towed, he approached the men to try to discuss it. One of the men then looked up and pointed a gun at Wactor, who put his body in front of his female co-worker as he was shot. The three men, who police say were all wearing masks, then fled the scene in another car.
Wactor was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead a short time later. The suspects remain at large.
Johnny’s younger brother Grant confirmed his death to DailyMail.com and said it didn’t surprise him to hear his sibling was putting others first at the time.
Actor Johnny Wactor was a ‘southern gentleman’ who was protecting a female co-worker from the armed thieves who fatally shot him Saturday, his brother Grant told DailyMail.com
Wactor, 37, was leaving his job at a rooftop bar with a co-worker in the early hours of Saturday morning when he saw three men attempting to steal his catalytic converter
Grant said that they were raised as ‘southern gentleman’, and his brother’s last act was one of bravery.
‘We’re Southern, born and raised, and we would never let a female walk to their car by herself,’ he said.
‘He came across them and he thought his truck was being towed. So he said something to the guys, like, ‘Hey, are you towing?
‘And then once he turned around, he saw what was happening and he put his coworker behind him. And that’s when they shot him.’
Grant confirmed that Johnny was shot in the chest as he came upon the suspects who were trying to steal the catalytic converter.
He added that the cops told him Johnny did not attempt to fight the car thieves, but the actor was backing away and trying to protect his friend when the shot was fired.
Johnny’s grandmother Barbara said he often picked up side gigs as a bartender. Neither she nor Grant knew which bar he was working that night.
According to the LAPD, the shooting happened at 3 a.m. Saturday in the area of West Pico Boulevard and South Hope Street
Johnny’s younger brother Grant (pictured center right) and grandmother Barbara said that Johnny (pictured left) was working at a downtown LA restaurants, as he often picked up side gigs as a bartender. They didn’t know which bar he was working that night
Grant said Johnny and his co-worker had to park about two blocks from the restaurant, so they were walking to their cars after they finished their shift.
That area in Downtown LA is called South Park, near several trendy hotels and multimillion dollar residential high-rises.
He paid a solemn tribute to his brother and noted that working a side job was part of his nature.
‘My brother was probably the hardest working person I’ve ever met in my life. He was a great brother and son,’ Grant said.
‘Anyone he touched, he made a great impact. He was as charismatic in real life as he was on camera. And he was always genuine, through and through.’
Grant, naturally, hopes that the men who killed Johnny are brought to justice.
‘I hope they are able to track the people who did this. I am glad in a way that this is getting the publicity so that it could shed some light that things need to change, or find ways so that no one else has to experience this – whether it be a murder or being at the wrong place at the wrong time.’
Johnny was the oldest of three boys while Grant is the youngest.
According to Grant, Johnny (seen here with General Hospital co-star Sofia Mattsson) brought up as ‘Southern gentlemen,’ so he was not surprised his older brother was walking his female co-worker to her car
Catalytic converters are often targets of thieves, as they have a re-sale value of hundreds of dollars
‘We are completely devastated,’ his grandmother, Barbara, told DailyMail.com. ‘He was just walking to his car. It’s senseless.’
The suspects have yet to be identified or described but there is an incident that matches the description of the killing which involved stealing a catalytic converter.
Catalytic converters are often targets of thieves, as they have a re-sale value of hundreds of dollars.
As of Sunday 5:30 pm, LAPD officials said they had no further information but the investigation is ongoing.
DailyMail.com has reached out to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office for comment.
Wactor appeared on over 160 episodes of General Hospital as the character Brando Corbin from 2020 to 2022.
The actor was also a series regular on the 2013 NBC drama series Siberia, which lasted 11 episodes.
He did multi-episode arcs on TV shows like The OA, The Passenger, Westworld and Hollywood Girl.
Some of Wactor’s co-stars have begun posting remembrances of the actor on social media
His first break into television came in a three-episode guest role on the Lifetime series Army Wives.
He had also branched out into producing; his IMDb page has three upcoming projects listed. Wactor also wrote a short film called Broken Riders.
Wactor’s most recent work was in the horror anthology Dead Talk Tales: Volume I released earlier this year.
Personally, his Instagram page often showed him engaging in extreme sports like rock climbing.
He is survived by his mother Scarlett and brothers Lance and Grant.
Wactor’s mother described him as a loving young man whose death leaves a hole in his family’s heart, per TMZ.
Perry Shen, a co-star on General Hospital, posted a beautiful remembrance of Wactor on X.
‘Johnny Wactor was a beautiful, beautiful soul. So talented. As you can see from the promo clip, always up for anything. Funny as all heck. Fit as all hell but also loved ice cream and ate all the junk I did as well,’ Shen wrote.
‘We all were cheated of many years with him.’
‘When the tears slow down, I am literally sick to my stomach at this news,’ wrote co-star Jon Lindstrom.
‘Johnny was one of those rare young men in this business who was kind, unassuming, humble, and always thought about other people. A talented young guy who just wanted to share that talent with the world.’
‘I wish I had enough love to fill the hole that his loved ones must feel right now, but I know that’s impossible. Johnny will be missed on this plane. For a long time to come. R.I.P.’