Current:Home > NewsGeneral Hospital Actor Johnny Wactor's Death: Authorities Arrest 4 People in Connection to Fatal Shooting -GrowthSphere Strategies
General Hospital Actor Johnny Wactor's Death: Authorities Arrest 4 People in Connection to Fatal Shooting
View
Date:2025-04-14 14:24:46
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! (95)
Related
- Dick Vitale announces he is cancer free: 'Santa Claus came early'
- Billy Ray Cyrus Granted Emergency Motion to Stop Ex Firerose From Using Credit Cards
- The body of a man who rescued his son is found in a West Virginia lake
- Matty Healy’s Fiancée Gabbriette Bechtel Hints at Future Family Plans After Engagement
- Jamie Foxx gets stitches after a glass is thrown at him during dinner in Beverly Hills
- Tinx Convinced Me That Prime Day Should Replace New Year’s Resolutions and She Shares Her Top Deals
- Pregnant Gypsy Rose Blanchard Shares Video of Her Baby’s Heartbeat
- Longer lives, lower pay: Why saving for retirement is harder for women
- Rolling Loud 2024: Lineup, how to stream the world's largest hip hop music festival
- Maryland board approves $148M in cuts to help support Medicaid, child care
Ranking
- Tarte Shape Tape Concealer Sells Once Every 4 Seconds: Get 50% Off Before It's Gone
- Rural Nevada judge who once ran for state treasurer indicted on federal fraud charges
- Former CIA official charged with being secret agent for South Korean intelligence
- Sofia Vergara, David Beckham and More Stars React to 2024 Emmy Nominations
- What do we know about the mysterious drones reported flying over New Jersey?
- Home Elusive Home: Low-income Lincoln renters often turned away
- Homeland Security inspector general to probe Secret Service handling of Trump rally
- Simone Biles changed gymnastics. Now, it has to be more accessible for kids of color
Recommendation
Apple iOS 18.2: What to know about top features, including Genmoji, AI updates
Homeland Security inspector general to probe Secret Service handling of Trump rally
Immigrants power job growth, help tame inflation. But is there a downside for the economy?
Longer lives, lower pay: Why saving for retirement is harder for women
Head of the Federal Aviation Administration to resign, allowing Trump to pick his successor
A man is convicted on all counts in a shooting that wounded 9 people outside a bar in Cleveland
Police pursuit leads to arrest of 2nd man in Maine death investigation
Peter Navarro, ex-Trump trade adviser, released from prison