Current:Home > reviewsGeneral Hospital Actor Johnny Wactor's Death: Authorities Arrest 4 People in Connection to Fatal Shooting -EquityExchange
General Hospital Actor Johnny Wactor's Death: Authorities Arrest 4 People in Connection to Fatal Shooting
View
Date:2025-04-17 16:57:35
Authorities have made multiple arrests in connection to the shooting death of Johnny Wactor.
The Los Angeles Police Department took four people into custody Aug. 15 as part of the investigation into the General Hospital actor’s homicide, according to a news release.
Robert Barceleau, 18, Leonel Gutierrez, 18, and Sergio Estrada, 18, were booked on arrest warrants for murder, while 22-year-old Frank Olano was booked on a warrant for accessory after the fact, per police.
E! News was unable to determine if the four had obtained lawyers to speak on their behalf.
Wactor was shot and killed May 25 in downtown L.A. after discovering thieves tampering with a car, his mother told NBC Los Angeles at the time.
Officers responded to a report of a shooting at 3:25 a.m. to find Wactor suffering from an apparent gunshot wound, per an LAPD press release. The soap star was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
"Based on witness statements, Wactor had ended his shift as a bartender at a local bar and walked to his vehicle," read a May 28 press release from the LAPD. "When Wactor arrived at his vehicle, he was confronted by three individuals who had Wactor’s vehicle raised up with a floor jack and were in the process of stealing the catalytic converter. Without provocation, the victim was shot by one of the individuals."
Police said the three suspects fled the scene in a dark sedan.
Wactor’s coworker Anita Joy later detailed the 37-year-old’s heroic final moments in the wake of his death, sharing that they were leaving the bar together when they came across the men.
"We cautiously approached the men, questioning what they were doing, at first thinking the car was being towed," she wrote on Instagram on May 29. "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."
Wactor stood in front of her to shield her from the perpetrators, but in an "instant" she said they were attacked.
"As I heard the shot ring into the night, he forcefully tumbled back into my arms," she recalled. "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."
Joy said she watched her friend of eight years die in her arms, adding she’s “utterly heartbroken and so very angry” over his passing.
"My only peace is that I was with him and this didn't happen to him alone,” she wrote. “My only other peace will be seeing these awful men brought to justice."
Read on to look back on his life in photos.
For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News AppveryGood! (255)
Related
- Could your smelly farts help science?
- What's the #1 thing to change to be happier? A top happiness researcher weighs in
- Saudi Arabia’s Solar Ambitions Still Far Off, Even With New Polysilicon Plant
- Native American Leaders Decry Increasingly Harsh Treatment of Dakota Access Protesters
- Current, future North Carolina governor’s challenge of power
- Big Win for Dakota Pipeline Opponents, But Bigger Battle Looms
- You'll Burn for Jonathan Bailey in This First Look at Him on the Wicked Set With Ariana Grande
- Ryan Shazier was seriously injured in an NFL game. He has advice for Damar Hamlin
- Could your smelly farts help science?
- A Colorado library will reopen after traces of meth were found in the building
Ranking
- Sam Taylor
- This It Cosmetics Balm Works as a Cleanser, Makeup Remover, and Mask: Get 2 for Less Than the Price of 1
- Native American Leaders Decry Increasingly Harsh Treatment of Dakota Access Protesters
- RSV recedes and flu peaks as a new COVID variant shoots 'up like a rocket'
- EU countries double down on a halt to Syrian asylum claims but will not yet send people back
- It’s Not Just Dakota Access. Many Other Fossil Fuel Projects Delayed or Canceled, Too
- Save Time and Money Between Salon Visits With This Root Touch-Up Spray That Has 8,700+ 5-Star Reviews
- Social isolation linked to an increased risk of dementia, new study finds
Recommendation
Former longtime South Carolina congressman John Spratt dies at 82
‘Reskinning’ Gives World’s Old Urban Buildings Energy-Saving Facelifts
Olympic medalist Tori Bowie died in childbirth. What to know about maternal mortality, eclampsia and other labor complications.
Miami police prepare for protesters outside courthouse where Trump is being arraigned
Sonya Massey's father decries possible release of former deputy charged with her death
Hydrogen Bus Launched on London Tourist Route
World Health Leaders: Climate Change Is Putting Lives, Health Systems at Risk
Illinois becomes first state in U.S. to outlaw book bans in libraries: Regimes ban books, not democracies