Citing crime rates in the city of Los Angeles, the family and friends of ‘General Hospital’ actor Johnny Wactor are calling for change after he was shot and killed in downtown L.A. by alleged catalytic converter thieves.
Wactor, 37, was walking back to his car with a co-worker after a bartending shift at Level 8 Restaurant & Lounge around 3:15 a.m. when they noticed his car on a jack in the area of Pico Boulevard and Hope Street.
Wactor, who thought his car was being towed at first according to co-worker Anita Joy, wasn’t confrontational or aggressive when he realized three men were attempting to steal his catalytic converter.
It was then when one of the men fired a deadly shot into Wactor’s chest, just after he stepped in front of Joy.
“I grab him, and I go, ‘Johnny, honey, are you okay?” and he goes, ‘Nope, shot.’ He just says those two words,” Joy said. “Once I saw his chest, I just started screaming for help.”
Wactor was pronounced dead at a local hospital, authorities said. The suspects fled the scene and are yet to be identified.
Now, a group of Wactor’s family and friends are calling for justice.
“Unfortunately, what happened to Johnny can, and is likely to, happen again,” reads a news release from the group.
The group cited crime rates in the city of L.A. from NeighborhoodScout, which claims that L.A. is safer than only 7% of U.S. cities. The group said there’s a 1 in 119 chance of being victim of a violent crime in L.A.
“Johnny’s family and friends are urging local community leaders to explore legislative and municipal actions that will hopefully not only lead to breakthroughs in Johnny’s case, but that will also help make the city that Johnny chose to call home safer,” the news release reads. “This should be important to us all”
According to the Los Angeles Police Department, violent crimes were down 3.2% in 2023 compared to 2022.
The group also called for officials to issue a $25,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the suspects responsible for killing Wactor.
“Johnny was not only an accomplished actor, he was also a son, brother, and friend,” the release reads. “Humble, selfless, and hardworking, Johnny is described by friends as ‘everything good about a man,’ ‘a man of his word,’ and someone who ‘showed up for you no matter how difficult or undesirable the job.’ He led by example, and to those who knew him, it came as no surprise to learn that his last act was one of self-sacrifice.”
The group said that Wactor’s friends and family will be available for questions from the media in L.A. on Wednesday. Afterwards, the group will lead a march to City Hall in his honor.
