Johnny Wactor's friend breaks silence after 'General Hospital' star's death in DTLA

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Thursday, May 30, 2024
Johnny Wactor's friend speaks after 'General Hospital' star's death

Anita Joy, the co-worker and friend of Johnny Wactor, is speaking out nearly a week after the late "General Hospital" star was shot to death in downtown Los Angeles.

"I was with Johnny in his last moments and I'm here to be his voice after such unimaginable events," Joy wrote in part in a lengthy Instagram post shared late Wednesday.

Joy said she had needed time to collect herself and gather her thoughts before writing about the events which culminated in Wactor, 37, shielding her before he was fatally shot on May 25.

"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 3am," Joy recounted.

Wactor was leaving work downtown when he encountered three men at his car. He thought he was being towed.

Los Angeles police said previously that Joy and Wactor had been leaving work early Saturday morning when they came across three suspects, who were dressed in black clothing and wearing masks that night. The suspects were allegedly trying to steal the catalytic converter in Wactor's car before one suspect opened fire on Wactor. After the shooting, the trio fled in a dark sedan, according to police.

"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!'" Joy continued, comparing the event to a glass of water getting tipped over and someone trying to stop the water from spilling out completely to no avail.

Joy also described the chaos that followed as Wactor lay dying in her arms and said that after she screamed for help, a security guard she knew from work had been nearby and ran toward them and called 911. Joy wrote that she and the security guard, whom she identified only by their first name of Bryan, tied her denim jacket around Wactor "to stop the bleeding" and Bryan attempted CPR on Wactor but their efforts were not enough to save him.

According to Joy, "It was too close range, too extreme of a wound for him to survive it but my god, he fought to stay."

Police said Wactor was later transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.

The family of former "General Hospital" star Johnny Wactor is speaking out about his killing in downtown Los Angeles.

Wactor's family spoke out on "Good Morning America" in an interview Tuesday and said they were desperate for answers in their son and brother's case.

"They took a wonderful person," Scarlett Wactor, Wactor's mother, said.

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