Current:Home > MyGeneral Hospital Actor Johnny Wactor's Death: Authorities Arrest 4 People in Connection to Fatal Shooting -WealthTrack
General Hospital Actor Johnny Wactor's Death: Authorities Arrest 4 People in Connection to Fatal Shooting
View
Date:2025-04-23 18:36:03
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! (77833)
Related
- Retirement planning: 3 crucial moves everyone should make before 2025
- U.K. high court rules Australian computer scientist is not bitcoin founder Satoshi Nakamoto
- Baywatch’s Nicole Eggert Shaves Her Head Amid Breast Cancer Diagnosis
- Lost Your Keys Again? Get 35% off Tile Bluetooth Trackers
- Apple iOS 18.2: What to know about top features, including Genmoji, AI updates
- 'Absolutely wackadoodle': Mom wins $1.4 million after using kids' birthdates as lottery numbers
- Cardinals land QB Desmond Ridder, send WR Rondale Moore to Falcons in trade, per reports
- Chiefs signing Hollywood Brown in move to get Patrick Mahomes some wide receiver help
- Megan Fox's ex Brian Austin Green tells Machine Gun Kelly to 'grow up'
- Colorado power outage tracker: Map shows nearly 50,000 without power amid winter storm
Ranking
- Meet first time Grammy nominee Charley Crockett
- New Mexico state police officer shot, killed near Tucumcari
- Saint Rose falls in its last basketball game. The Golden Knights lost their NCAA tournament opener
- Alec Baldwin asks judge to dismiss involuntary manslaughter charge in Rust shooting
- Which apps offer encrypted messaging? How to switch and what to know after feds’ warning
- As Conflict Rages On, Israel and Gaza’s Environmental Fates May Be Intertwined
- Pioneer Woman Ree Drummond Denies Using Ozempic Amid Weight Loss Transformation
- Arizona Coyotes cleared to bid for tract of land in north Phoenix for new arena site
Recommendation
A South Texas lawmaker’s 15
Shades of Pemberley Bookstore in Alabama has a tailor-made book club for all ages
Get $95 Good American Pants for $17, Plus More Major Deals To Keep Up With Khloé Kardashian's Style
Russian media claims Houthis have hypersonic missiles to target U.S. ships in the Red Sea
Apple iOS 18.2: What to know about top features, including Genmoji, AI updates
Suspected tornadoes kill at least 3 in Ohio, leave trail of destruction in Indiana, Kentucky
Drew Barrymore, those menopause supplements she's raving about and what experts want you to know
Taylor Swift's Eras Tour is live to stream on Disney+ with bonus 'Acoustic Collection'