Days after “General Hospital” star Johnny Wactor was shot to death, a colleague who held him in his final moments has shared harrowing new details about the events that led to his death.
“I needed time to gather my emotions. I was with Johnny in his final moments and I am here to be his voice after such an unthinkable event,” Anita Joy wrote. Instagram Posts on wednesday.
“He was senselessly murdered by cowards who reacted with no care about the amazing life they were taking,” she wrote in the post. “I am angry, sad and every emotion at the same time, but most of all, I am here for justice for Johnny.”
Joy said she and Wachter were walking to their car in the early hours of May 25 after working as bartenders at Level 8 in downtown Los Angeles when they noticed “several criminals trying to steal car parts.”
LAPD releases new details about three suspects in murder of ‘General Hospital’ actor Johnny Wactor
Johnny Wactor and Anita Joy were friends for eight years until his death. (Getty | Anita Joy Instagram)
“We cautiously approached the men and asked them what they were doing. At first we thought our car was being towed away,” she wrote. “We were not a threat and Johnny, as always, remained calm and simply told them it was his car and to leave. He had open arms for peace.”
“Johnny was between me and the man who shot him,” she continued. “He tumbled forcefully back into my arms as we heard the gunshot ring out into the night. I grabbed him and yelled, ‘Are you OK?’ All he said was, ‘No! I’ve been shot!’ We collapsed to the pavement and I got under his legs to try and support him, screaming for help and for him to stay with me.”
A security guard from the bar was across the street at the time and rushed to the scene while calling 911.
Johnny Wactor was shot and killed on May 25th. (Michael Thalberg/Getty Images)
“Brian wrapped his denim jacket around himself to stop the bleeding. [the security guard] We continued to try to give him CPR.”
“He was close, he was badly injured and he would not have survived but he fought to survive,” she wrote. “I am absolutely heartbroken and so angry. The only thing I have peace with is knowing that I am with him and this did not happen to him alone. The only other peace I have is seeing these horrible men brought to justice.”
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“His energy was magnetic and so natural. You felt safe around him,” she wrote in the caption. “He treated everyone with love, respect and compassion and really ‘seeed’ people. He was a beautiful, incredibly goofy person with great work ethic and values.”
“He called me ‘Anita Bonita,’ and I hope that the sound of him saying that every time I saw him will never fade from my memory,” she added. “One look into his big blue eyes, followed by a goofy smile, and Johnny made me fall in love with him instantly. He is, without a doubt, one of the best men I’ve ever known.”
Wachter’s colleagues described him as having a “beautiful, goofy” soul. (Craig Sjodin/ABC via Getty Images)
“I am so grateful that I was a part of his world and that he was a part of mine. Although my heart is broken by losing him, I believe I have the best guardian angel ever. I love you Johnny Wacky,” Joy concluded.
Wednesday, Wachter’s Official cause of death This was revealed by the coroner’s office.
The Los Angeles County coroner ruled the cause of death to be “homicide” and the proximate cause to be “a gunshot wound to the chest.”
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According to a press release obtained by Fox News Digital on Tuesday, the Los Angeles Police Department said Wachter was “encountered by three men” in the early morning hours of May 25. Wachter had just finished her shift as a bartender when she noticed the men “attempting to lift her vehicle with a floor jack and steal the catalytic converter.” Wachter was shot and killed by one of the men.
According to the release, “Officers from the Los Angeles Police Department’s Central District received a radio call reporting an assault with a deadly weapon and a shooting in the 1200 block of Hope Street. When officers arrived on scene, they found the victim, identified as 37-year-old John William Wachter, suffering from a gunshot wound. Officers began administering aid to the victim and requested the dispatch of emergency medical services.”
Wachter 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 asking anyone with information to call the Los Angeles Police Department or Los Angeles Area Crime Stoppers.
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The three suspects who fled the scene were wearing all dark clothing and driving a dark sedan, according to the press release.
Fox News Digital’s Elizabeth Stanton contributed to this report.
