The ‘General Hospital’ actor was fatally shot in the early hours of May 25 when he came upon thieves who were attempting to steal his catalytic converter
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Johnny Wactor
Level 8, the Los Angeles bar where Johnny Wactor worked, is paying tribute to the General Hospital actor after he was fatally shot.
The venue — which is located in downtown Los Angeles — shared a statement on Instagram on May 31, which read, “It is with a heavy heart that we mourn a valued and cherished team member, Johnny Wactor, whom we lost to a random act of violence a week ago.”
“This has been difficult to process for all who knew him,” the statement continued. “He was beloved amongst his peers and co-workers, and we will all miss his talent and generous spirit. Our hearts go out to his family and everyone affected by this senseless, terrible tragedy.”
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Johnny Wactor
Level 8 noted they “take safety very seriously,” adding, “Since we opened, we have provided the option for security escorts to the nearby parking lot to our staff after hours. And in light of this tragic incident, we have been talking to our team and professionals in the field, and are actively researching additional safety measures for our staff.”
“We understand that a tragedy such as this impacts everyone differently and profoundly,” the statement concluded. “We are committed to providing a safe and supportive environment for everyone at Level 8.”
The venue also shared the GoFundMe page set up to help his family with funeral and travel expenses as well as encouraged followers to contact L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers if they had information about the shooting.
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Johnny Wactor on ‘General Hospital’
Wactor, 37, was fatally shot in the early hours of May 25 when he and co-worker Anita Joy came upon three armed car thieves who were attempting to steal his catalytic converter from his vehicle, his brother Grant Wactor told PEOPLE.
Joy opened up about Wactor’s death in a lengthy Instagram post on Wednesday, May 29.
“I was with Johnny in his last moments and I’m here to be his voice after such unimaginable events,” she shared in part. “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.”
“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.,” Joy added, stating that the “basic details of this horrific story” comes down “to a few criminals trying to steal a car part.”
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PEOPLE reported on May 29 that the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner had determined that Wactor died from a gunshot wound to the chest. His manner of death is listed as a homicide.
Wactor, who was best known for his General Hospital role as Brando Corbin, also appeared in Army Wives, NCIS, The OA, Westworld, The Passenger, Station 19, Barbee Rehab, Siberia, Agent X, Vantastic, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Girl, Training Day, Criminal Minds and more.
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