“General Hospital” actor Johnny Wactor was shot and killed in Los Angeles early Saturday morning when he confronted a trio of masked thieves attempting to steal a pricey part from his car.
Wactor, 37, was fatally shot when he and a colleague saw three suspects allegedly attempting to swipe a catalytic converter from his car around 3:30 a.m. downtown, TMZ reported, citing Wactor’s mother and police.
Grieving mom Scarlett Wactor said she was told by authorities that while her son didn’t put up a fight, the suspects still fired at him and then fled in a vehicle, according to the outlet.
She also told KABC that as he walked from his job at a rooftop bar to his car, at first thought it was being towed and tried speaking to one of the robbers. The thief, who was wearing a mask, looked up and shot him, she added.
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A law enforcement source also confirmed to the Los Angeles Times Wactor confronted the suspects before he was shot and later pronounced dead at the hospital.
No suspects have been arrested as of Sunday afternoon.
Wactor is best known for playing Brando Corbin in 164 episodes of the long-running soap opera “General Hospital” between 2020 and 2022, according to his IMDb profile. He was later written off the show.
He also appeared in the supernatural drama show “Siberia,” the drama “Army Wives” and an episode of “Criminal Minds.”
“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,” the ABC show wrote on X.
“Our thoughts and prayers go out to his loved ones during this difficult time.”
Wactor’s fellow actors on the soap also took to social media to express their shock and grief over his violent death.
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Jon Lindstrom said he was “sick to my stomach at this news.”
“Johnny was one of those rare young men in this business who was kind, unassuming, humble, and always thought about other people,” Lindstrom tweeted. “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.”
Nancy Lee Grahn called the shooting “tragic, enraging & heartbreaking.”
“What a lovely man Johnny was,” she tweeted.
Scarlett Wactor told TMZ she would remember her son as a loving young man. Wactor leaves behind his mother and a pair of younger brothers, the outlet reported.