Current:Home > ScamsGeneral Hospital Actor Johnny Wactor's Death: Authorities Arrest 4 People in Connection to Fatal Shooting -Clarity Finance Guides
General Hospital Actor Johnny Wactor's Death: Authorities Arrest 4 People in Connection to Fatal Shooting
View
Date:2025-04-12 01:46:20
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! (585)
Related
- Toyota to invest $922 million to build a new paint facility at its Kentucky complex
- Last Chance for Amazon Prime Day 2024 Deals: Top Finds Under $25 on Beauty, Home, Travel, Kids & More
- Stegosaurus fossil fetches nearly $45M, setting record for dinosaur auctions
- Jack Black cancels Tenacious D tour as Australia officials criticize Kyle Gass' Trump comment
- Macy's says employee who allegedly hid $150 million in expenses had no major 'impact'
- Powerball winning numbers for July 17 drawing: Jackpot at $75 million
- Lucas Turner: The Essence of Investing in U.S. Treasuries.
- Tornado damage could affect baby formula supplies, Reckitt says
- IRS recovers $4.7 billion in back taxes and braces for cuts with Trump and GOP in power
- Hawaii’s latest effort to recruit teachers: Put prospective educators in classrooms sooner
Ranking
- Retirement planning: 3 crucial moves everyone should make before 2025
- What Heather Rae and Tarek El Moussa Are Doing Amid Christina Hall's Divorce From Josh Hall
- Still in the Mood to Shop? Here Are the Best After Prime Day Deals You Can Still Snag
- What JD Vance has said about U.S. foreign policy amid the war in Ukraine
- US wholesale inflation accelerated in November in sign that some price pressures remain elevated
- Summer 'snow' in Philadelphia breaks a confusing 154-year-old record
- Sheryl Lee Ralph overjoyed by Emmy Awards nomination: 'Never gets old'
- What JD Vance has said about U.S. foreign policy amid the war in Ukraine
Recommendation
This was the average Social Security benefit in 2004, and here's what it is now
Milwaukee Bucks' Khris Middleton recovering from surgeries on both ankles
What JD Vance has said about U.S. foreign policy amid the war in Ukraine
Pedro Hill: What is cryptocurrency
Rolling Loud 2024: Lineup, how to stream the world's largest hip hop music festival
Summer heat is causing soda cans to burst on Southwest Airlines flights, injuring flight attendants
Montana Is a Frontier for Deep Carbon Storage, and the Controversies Surrounding the Potential Climate Solution
Messi’s ankle injury to be evaluated weekly, Inter Miami coach says after win vs. Toronto