A friend and co-worker of slain actor Johnny Wactor, best known for playing Brando Corbin on the long-running ABC soap opera “General Hospital,” has shared his final moments days after the 37-year-old was killed in California.
“I’ve needed to take some time to collect myself and my thoughts. I was with Johnny in his last moments and I’m here to be his voice after such unimaginable events,” Ms. Joy wrote in the opening sentence of the lengthy post.
She explained that they approached the men at 3 a.m. on May 25, initially thinking Mr. Wactor’s car was being towed.
“We were no threat and 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,” Ms. Joy wrote.
She added: “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!’ We toppled onto the street, where I pushed my legs under him and tried to hold his body up while screaming for help and screaming at him to stay with me.”
Ms. Joy went on to say that a security guard, Bryan, heard the screams and ran toward them while calling a 911 dispatcher. As they waited for an ambulance to arrive, they used a denim jacket to stop the bleeding and performed CPR on him.
Paramedics transported Mr. Wactor to a nearby hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.
“It was too close range, too extreme of a wound for him to survive it. But my God, he fought to stay,” Ms. Joy wrote. “I am utterly heartbroken and so very angry. 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.”
Ms. Joy also called on her employers to provide parking spaces for late-hour staff, saying safety needs to be addressed to prevent similar incidents from happening again.
Police said the suspects had Mr. Wactor’s vehicle raised with a floor jack and were attempting to steal the catalytic converter. Catalytic converters are popular targets for thieves because they contain precious metals that can be resold.
There are still no arrests for the killing.
Crime Trends in California
Mr. Wactor’s homicide comes weeks after U.S. News & World Report ranked California in the top 10 of America’s most dangerous states, with a violent crime rate of 499 per 100,000 people and a property crime rate of 2,343 per 100,000 people.“It’s not OK. This can’t keep happening,” Ms. Farrell said. “These criminals can’t keep being on the street and they can’t keep being sent back and have no repercussions for their actions.”
Tributes Pour in After Fatal Shooting
In her social media post, Ms. Joy remembered her friend of eight years as someone with “magnetic energy” who was “full of work ethic and values.”“He treated everyone with love, respect, [and] compassion, and he really ’saw' you,” she continued. “He never put people down, even when joking, he never made you feel unsure of yourself—he knew how to be hilarious in such a positive way and it just made him that much more lovable.”
Many of Mr. Wactor’s “General Hospital” co-stars also paid their respects to the actor on social media, including Canadian actress Inga Cadranel, who remembered him as a “shining beautiful light.”
“We had so many deep talks about love, life, and family together,” she wrote to her Instagram story, noting that the two actors were cast in the ABC program around the same time.
“We all were cheated of many years with him,” he said.
“The entire General Hospital family is heartbroken to hear of Johnny Wactor’s untimely passing,” the statement reads. “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.”
