Johnny Wactor, 37, was fatally shot in downtown Los Angeles on May 25, 2024, around 3:25 a.m. He had just finished a bartending shift at the Level 8 bar/restaurant and was escorting a female co-worker to her vehicle when he saw people tampering with his Toyota Prius. The suspects had raised the car with a floor jack and were attempting to remove its catalytic converter. Wactor stood between his co-worker and the thieves; one of the suspects shot him in the chest. The perpetrators fled and Wactor died after being taken to a nearby hospital.

The Los Angeles Police Department identified the suspects as members of the Florencia 13 gang. Wactor was best known for playing Brando Corbin on the soap opera General Hospital, and his death has drawn grief from the entertainment community and fans.

If anyone has information about the incident or saw activity near Pico Boulevard and Hope Street that night, please share what you know.