Former General Hospital actor Johnny Wactor killed during a heist in Downtown L.A

Actor Johnny Wactor was fatally shot on Saturday, May 25, leading to his death, as reported by CBS News. The killing occurred in Los Angeles where a car theft was taking place, witnessed by Officer Jader Chaves of the Los Angeles Police Department.

He was pronounced dead at reaching the hospital. The actor's brother, Grant Wactor, confirmed his death to The Times on Sunday.

Johnny Wactor played Brando Corbin in General Hospital between 2020 to 2022. He was also known for his roles in television series such as Criminal Minds, Animal Kingdom, Westworld and Station19, and in movies and short films such as Menthol, and Mr. and Mrs. Kill.

He was last seen in the horror movie, Dead Talk Tales: Volume I, which was released on March 27, 2024.

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Johnny Wactor: Cause of death explained

Wactor fell victim to a car robbery (Image via Instagram@johnnywactor)

General Hospital actor Johnny Wactor fell victim to a car heist crime on Saturday morning. Initially reported to be an unknown victim by the Los Angeles Police Department, Wactor reportedly came across three thieves trying to steal parts from his car.

However, when confronted, one of the assailants shot Wactor before fleeing in another vehicle, as per Officer Chaves.

As per reports from the police, the thieves were after precious metals like platinum, palladium, and rhodium found in the exhaust emission device of the vehicle.

The materials have a high value in the scrap market and auto parts dealers' market, and could be melted down and extracted.

As such, the actor's vehicle was a catalytic converter that has the emission control device in the undercarriage of the car.

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When did the attack on Johnny Wactor occur?

Wactor in a scene from General Hospital (Image via X@GeneralHospital)

As per Officer Chaves, the event happened around 3 am in the morning of Saturday, May 25, 2024. The Criminal Minds actor was working as a bartender in Level 8 Nightclub in the downtown area of the city. After his shift was over, he was walking a co-worker to her vehicle.

He noticed a few people crowding around his vehicle parked near Pico Boulevard and Hope Street. Fearing that his car was getting towed away, Wactor confronted the people not knowing their attempt to steal parts from his car.

As Johnny Wactor approached them, one of the assailants drew a gun and shot the actor multiple times. When the police arrived they found the victim with multiple shots. Wactor was taken to a nearby hospital where the medical staff declared him dead.

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All movies and shows Johnny Wactor appeared on: Station 19, Criminal Minds & more

Johnny Wactor had a long acting career behind him in the 37 years of life. Some of the television series and the characters he famously played include:

Name of the series	Name of the character
Barbee Rehab	Star Trek Ken
Station 19	Lt. Cooper
General Hospital	Brando Corbin
The Passenger	Horace Parker
Westworld	Gunny Thompson
The OA	EMT 2
NCIS	Navy Lieutenant Ross Johnson
Criminal Minds	Trey Gordon
Animal Kingdom	MP #1
Siberia	Johnny

While he worked in many more series, the above are the more memorable roles of his. He has been part of many shorts and movies. Some of the well-known titles include Snap Judgement, Mr. and Mrs. Kill, where he voiced the husband, Menthol, A Most Suitable Applicant, Disillusioned, Anything For You Abby, We Won't Forget and Dead Talk Tales: Volume I.

Born in 1986 in the Charleston area of South Carolina, Johnny Wactor started appearing on television shows from around 2007. As per Marca.com, his net worth is estimated to be around US $9 million at the time of his death.

He is survived by his mother, Scarlett Wactor, and his two brothers. General Hospital has issued a statement expressing condolence on Wactor's death.