Current:Home > MyGeneral Hospital Actor Johnny Wactor's Death: Authorities Arrest 4 People in Connection to Fatal Shooting -ProfitEdge
General Hospital Actor Johnny Wactor's Death: Authorities Arrest 4 People in Connection to Fatal Shooting
View
Date:2025-04-14 09:53:27
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! (732)
Related
- Tarte Shape Tape Concealer Sells Once Every 4 Seconds: Get 50% Off Before It's Gone
- See the Kardashian-Jenners' Night Out at the 2024 Oscars After-Parties
- Federal judge in Texas blocks US labor board rule that would make it easier for workers to unionize
- TikTok is a national security issue, Sens. Mark Warner and Marco Rubio say
- Newly elected West Virginia lawmaker arrested and accused of making terroristic threats
- Why Bad Bunny's 2024 Oscars Look Is So Unexpected
- Oscar Moments: Talk of war and peace, a coronation for Nolan, and Ken-demonium for Gosling
- Oscars 2024: Ryan Gosling Reunites With Barbie's Kens for I’m Just Ken Performance
- The Louvre will be renovated and the 'Mona Lisa' will have her own room
- Jimmy Kimmel talks about that Trump dig at star-studded after party; Billie Eilish rocks socks
Ranking
- Sam Taylor
- Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt trade 'Barbenheimer' barbs in playful Oscars roast
- Kate Middleton Breaks Silence on Edited Family Photo Controversy
- Mother of 5-year-old girl killed by father takes first steps in planned wrongful death lawsuit
- Gen. Mark Milley's security detail and security clearance revoked, Pentagon says
- Emma Stone was crying, locked out of Oscars during 3 major wins: What you didn't see on TV
- At least 19 dead, 7 missing as flash floods and landslide hit Indonesia's Sumatra island
- Elle King Breaks Silence After Drunken Performance at Dolly Parton Tribute Show
Recommendation
Dick Vitale announces he is cancer free: 'Santa Claus came early'
Baker Mayfield re-signs with Buccaneers on three-year deal
Robert De Niro and Tiffany Chen's 35-Year Age Gap Roasted by Jimmy Kimmel at 2024 Oscars
Beached sperm whale dies after beaching along Florida’s Gulf Coast
Elon Musk's skyrocketing net worth: He's the first person with over $400 billion
At US universities, record numbers of Indian students seek brighter prospects — and overseas jobs
Photo agencies remove latest Princess Kate picture over 'manipulation,' fueling conspiracy
Why Robert Downey Jr.'s 'Oppenheimer' first Oscar win is so sweet (and a long time coming)