Current:Home > FinanceGeneral Hospital Actor Johnny Wactor's Death: Authorities Arrest 4 People in Connection to Fatal Shooting -NextGenWealth
General Hospital Actor Johnny Wactor's Death: Authorities Arrest 4 People in Connection to Fatal Shooting
View
Date:2025-04-18 15:01:37
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! (26)
Related
- Bet365 ordered to refund $519K to customers who it paid less than they were entitled on sports bets
- 'Bridgerton' author Julia Quinn addresses 'disappointment' over gender-swapped character
- Amazon wants more powerful Alexa, potentially with monthly fees: Reports
- Kyle Richards Shares Her Top Beauty Products, Real Housewives Essentials, Prime Day Deals & More
- Civic engagement nonprofits say democracy needs support in between big elections. Do funders agree?
- 3 ways the CDK cyberattack is affecting car buyers
- Maui leaders target vacation rentals in proposal to house more locals
- CDK Global says outages to continue through June 30 after supplier hack
- NCAA President Charlie Baker would be 'shocked' if women's tournament revenue units isn't passed
- More than 150 rescued over 5 days from rip currents at North Carolina beaches
Ranking
- Olympic women's basketball bracket: Schedule, results, Team USA's path to gold
- Shark bites 14-year-old boy's leg in attack at North Carolina beach
- Florida Panthers' 30-year wait over! Cats make history, win Stanley Cup
- The Daily Money: Bailing on home insurance
- The 'Rebel Ridge' trailer is here: Get an exclusive first look at Netflix movie
- A Wyoming highway critical for commuters will reopen three weeks after a landslide
- Closing arguments starting in class-action lawsuit against NFL by ‘Sunday Ticket’ subscribers
- Bear euthanized after injuring worker at park concession stand in Tennessee
Recommendation
What to watch: O Jolie night
Faster ice sheet melting could bring more coastal flooding sooner
Love Blue Bell ice cream? You can vote for your favorite discontinued flavor to return
California governor defends progressive values, says they’re an ‘antidote’ to populism on the right
Selena Gomez engaged to Benny Blanco after 1 year together: 'Forever begins now'
16 Nobel Prize-winning economists warn that Trump's economic plans could reignite inflation
Supreme Court rejects Josh Duggar's child pornography appeal
Florida Panthers' 30-year wait over! Cats make history, win Stanley Cup