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.
Johnny’s younger brother Grant and grandmother Barbara said that Johnny 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.
He 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.
According to Grant, he and his brothers were brought up as ‘Southern gentlemen,’ so he was not surprised his older brother was walking his female co-worker to her car.
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
‘We’re Southern, born and raised, and we would never let a female walk to their car by herself.’
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BREAKING NEWS
General Hospital star Johnny Wactor, 37, is shot and killed in Los Angeles: Actor mistook masked thieves stealing his car for tow truck drivers and intervened before they opened fire
According to the LAPD, the shooting happened at 3 a.m. Saturday in the area of West Pico Boulevard and South Hope Street.
That area in Downtown LA is called South Park, and it’s near trendy hotels and multimillion dollar residential high-rises.
Johnny, mother Scarlett Wactor said, thought that his vehicle was getting towed and tried to approach the men to get further details.
One of the suspects was wearing a mask. When he heard Wactor, he looked up and then shot him, she told ABC7.
Grant confirmed that Johnny was shot in the chest as he came upon the suspects who were trying to steal the catalytic converter from his truck.
Police said that paramedics got to the scene at around 3am local time and took him to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Grant added that the cops told him Johnny did not attempt to fight the would-be robbers, but the actor was backing away and trying to protect his friend when the shot was fired.
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
‘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. Grant is the youngest.
‘We are completely devastated,’ his grandmother, Barbara, said. ‘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.
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
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.
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.
Some of Wactor’s co-stars have begun posting remembrances of the actor on social media
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.’