Johnny Wactor’s co-worker says ‘General Hospital’ star died ‘in my arms’

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Johnny Wactor’s colleague Anita Joy has detailed the General Hospital star’s horrifying final moments after he was fatally shot by thieves over the weekend.

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Wactor, 37, was shot and killed when he interrupted thieves stealing the catalytic converter from his car in downtown Los Angeles, his family said Sunday.

In an emotional Instagram post, Joy wrote about what transpired after they left work together early Saturday morning.

“I was with Johnny in his last moments and I’m here to be his voice after such unimaginable events,” she wrote. “He was killed senselessly by a coward who reacted without care of the gorgeous life he was taking. So I’m angry, I’m sad and I’m all of the feelings at once… but above all, I am here for Johnny’s justice.”

Joy said that the “basic details of this horrific story” comes down “to a few criminals trying to steal a car part.”

“My friend of 8 years went from laughing together, working side by side, leaving our bartending shift and walking to our cars, to him dying in my arms in the streets of DTLA in the dark hours of 3 a.m.,” she wrote.

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Joy said that Wactor initially approached the men thinking his car was being towed and that “everything happened in an instant.”

“Johnny kept his cool as he always did, simply stating that it was his car and for them to leave. Hands open to his sides in peace,” Joy continued. “Johnny was between me and the man who shot him — as I heard the shot ring into the night, he forcefully tumbled back into my arms and as I grabbed for him, I shouted, ‘Hunny you OK?!’ And he only responded, ‘Nope! Shot!’ “

Joy said they fell to the street and she tried to hold his body up as she screamed for help.

A security guard from their bar performed CPR as she called 911.

“I am utterly heartbroken and so very angry,” she continued. “It was too close range, too extreme of a wound for him to survive it but my god, he fought to stay. My only peace is that I was with him and this didn’t happen to him alone — my only other peace will be seeing these awful men brought to justice.”

Joy said the horrifying exchange happened in a blink of an eye.

“I’ve come to describe it as a glass of water that gets tipped over and you’re scrambling to grab it and save it from spilling out completely but it just runs through your fingertips and is gone,” she wrote.

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Wactor’s mother, Scarlett, told ABC 7 that her son had left work at a rooftop bar with a coworker when he saw someone at his car and thought it was being towed. A mask-wearing suspect opened fire, his mother said.

“He loved living. He lived life to the fullest. Whatever he did, whether it was acting or rock climbing or even bartending, he did it 110%,” she said.

Following the shooting, three suspects drove away from the scene, police said. Wactor was rushed to a hospital, where he later died.

“I use the word hero,” Scarlett said, describing her son’s final actions in an interview with NBC News.

No arrests have been made and the Los Angeles Police Department continues its hunt for the three suspects.

“I think they are cowards,” Scarlett said. “As a parent, you never expect to bury a child.”

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Wactor played Brando Corbin on the daytime drama from 2020 to 2022, appearing in more than 160 episodes before the character was written out of the series.

After news of his murder broke, General Hospital shared a statement on Instagram calling him “truly one of a kind.”

“The entire General Hospital family is heartbroken to hear of Johnny Wactor’s untimely passing. He was truly one of a kind and a pleasure to work with each and every day. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his loved ones during this difficult time.”

Joy went on to add that the Wactor “lit up any room” he was in, sharing, “No matter how well you knew him, he treated everyone like he truly cared about you.”

“It just filled your heart to be around him. He called me ‘Anita Bonita’ and I hope the stamp of his voice saying that every time I saw him never leaves my memory,” she added.

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In addition to his work on the soap opera, Wactor appeared in episodes of Station 19, Criminal Minds, NCIS, Westworld and the video game Call of Duty: Vanguard .

Wactor’s agent, David Shaul, said the actor was “a real moral example to everyone who knew him.”

“In the highs and lows of a challenging profession he always kept his chin up and kept striving for the best he could be,” Shaul said in a statement Sunday. “Our time with Johnny was a privilege we would wish on everyone. He would literally give you the shirt off his back. After over a decade together, he will leave a hole in our hearts forever.”

A GoFundMe page that has been set up to help his family with funeral costs has almost reached $100,000 in donations.

On Wednesday evening, Wactor’s official cause of death was revealed by the coroner’s office.

Per Fox News, the County of Los Angeles Medical Examiner listed his death as a “homicide” and concluded that he died as a direct cause of a “gunshot wound to the chest.”

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