Current:Home > StocksGeneral Hospital Actor Johnny Wactor's Death: Authorities Arrest 4 People in Connection to Fatal Shooting--DB Wealth Institute B2 Reviews Insights
General Hospital Actor Johnny Wactor's Death: Authorities Arrest 4 People in Connection to Fatal Shooting
View Date:2025-01-19 19:19:53
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! (2)
Related
- Satellite images and documents indicate China working on nuclear propulsion for new aircraft carrier
- Russia says Moscow and Crimea hit by Ukrainian drones while Russian forces bombard Ukraine’s south
- Baltimore Continues Incinerating Trash, Despite Opposition from its New Mayor and City Council
- Powerball jackpot hits $1 billion after no winning tickets sold for $922 million grand prize
- American Idol’s Triston Harper, 16, Expecting a Baby With Wife Paris Reed
- Chris Martin and Dakota Johnson's Love Story Is Some Fairytale Bliss
- As Harsh Financial Realities Emerge, St. Croix’s Limetree Bay Refinery Could Be Facing Bankruptcy
- How Does a Utility Turn a Net-Zero Vision into Reality? That’s What They’re Arguing About in Minnesota
- Taylor Swift Becomes Auntie Tay In Sweet Photo With Fellow Chiefs WAG Chariah Gordon's Daughter
- Yeti recalls coolers and gear cases due to magnet ingestion hazard
Ranking
- LSU student arrested over threats to governor who wanted a tiger at college football games
- Finding Bright Spots in the Global Coral Reef Catastrophe
- TikTok to limit the time teens can be on the app. Will safeguards help protect them?
- The job market slowed last month, but it's still too hot to ease inflation fears
- Harriet Tubman posthumously honored as general in Veterans Day ceremony: 'Long overdue'
- A multiverse of 'Everything Everywhere' props are auctioned, raising $555K for charity
- Birmingham firefighter dies days after being shot while on duty
- Inside Eminem and Hailie Jade Mathers' Private Father-Daughter Bond
Recommendation
-
Kid Rock tells fellow Trump supporters 'most of our left-leaning friends are good people'
-
Democrats urge Republicans to rescind RFK Jr. invitation to testify
-
Killings of Environmental Advocates Around the World Hit a Record High in 2020
-
House escalates an already heated battle over federal government diversity initiatives
-
Teachers in 3 Massachusetts communities continue strike over pay, paid parental leave
-
Emergency slide fell from United Airlines plane as it flew into Chicago O'Hare airport
-
Kylie Jenner Trolls Daughter Stormi for Not Giving Her Enough Privacy
-
Rebel Wilson and Fiancée Ramona Agruma Will Need a Pitch Perfect Compromise on Wedding Plans