Days after “General Hospital” star Johnny Wactor was shot and killed, his co-worker who held him in his final moments shared new, harrowing details about the series of events that led to his death.
“I’ve needed to take some time to collect myself and my thoughts. I was with Johnny in his last moments and I’m here to be his voice after such unimaginable events,” Anita Joy wrote in an Instagram post on Wednesday.
“He was killed senselessly by a coward who reacted without care of the gorgeous life he was taking,” she wrote in her post. “I’m angry, I’m sad and I’m all the feelings at once, but above all, I am here for Johnny’s justice.”
After working a bartending shift at Level 8 in downtown Los Angeles, Joy said she and Wactor were walking to their cars in the early hours of May 25 before they noticed “a few criminals trying to steal a car part.”
Johnny Wactor and Anita Joy were friends for eight years before his death. (Getty | Anita Joy Instagram)
“We cautiously approached the men, questioning what they were doing, at first thinking the car was being towed,” she wrote. “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.”
“Johnny was between me and the man who shot him,” she continued. “As I heard the shot ring into the night, he forcefully tumbled back into my arms. 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.”
The bar’s security guard was crossing the street at the time and rushed over while dialing 911.
Johnny Wactor was shot and killed on May 25. (Michael Tullberg/Getty Images)
“We tied my denim jacket around him to stop the bleeding and Bryan [the security guard] proceeded to try CPR on him.”
“It was too close range, too extreme of a wound for him to survive it but my god, he fought to stay,” she wrote. “I am utterly heartbroken and so very angry. My only peace is that I was with him and this didn’t happen to him alone – my only other peace will be seeing these awful men brought to justice.”
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“His energy was magnetic and pulled you in so effortlessly – you were safe with him,” she wrote in her caption. “He treated everyone with love, respect, compassion and he really ‘saw’ you. He was beautiful, goofy as hell, full of work ethic and values.”
“He called me ‘Anita Bonita’ and I hope the stamp of his voice saying that every time I saw him never leaves my memory,” she added. “Just one look into his big blue eyes, followed by a big goofy grin, Johnny made you love him instantly. Absolutely one of the best men I’ve ever known.”
Wactor’s co-worker described him as a “beautiful, goofy” soul. (Craig Sjodin/ABC via Getty Images)
“I’m so grateful to have been a part of his world and him, mine. My heart is shattered with his loss but I believe l have gained the best guardian Angel out there. I love you Johnny Wacky,” Joy concluded.
On Wednesday, Wactor’s official cause of death was revealed by the coroner’s office.
The County of Los Angeles Medical Examiner concluded that the manner of death was a “homicide” and the direct cause was a “gunshot wound to the chest.”
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In a press release obtained by Fox News Digital on Tuesday, the LAPD said Wactor was “confronted by three individuals” in the early hours on May 25. Wactor had just ended a bartending shift and noticed these individuals had his car “raised up with a floor jack and were in the process of stealing the catalytic converter.” Wactor was shot and killed by one of the individuals.
According to the release, “Los Angeles Police Department, Central Area officers responded to a radio call of an Assault with a Deadly Weapon-Shooting in the 1200 block of Hope Street. Upon officers’ arrival they discovered the victim, identified as 37-year-old John William Wactor, suffering from an apparent gunshot wound. Officers began to render aid to the victim and requested the response of emergency medical services.”
Wactor played Brando Corbin on “General Hospital” for 164 episodes from 2020 to 2022. (Scott Kirkland/ABC via Getty Images)
He was later pronounced dead at a local hospital.
Police are urging anyone with information to call the LAPD or L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers.
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According to the press release, the three suspects involved, who fled the scene, were wearing all dark clothing and driving a dark-colored sedan.
Fox News Digital’s Elizabeth Stanton contributed to this report.