Current:Home > InvestGeneral Hospital Actor Johnny Wactor's Death: Authorities Arrest 4 People in Connection to Fatal Shooting -Secure Growth Solutions
General Hospital Actor Johnny Wactor's Death: Authorities Arrest 4 People in Connection to Fatal Shooting
View
Date:2025-04-13 14:35:00
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! (14)
Related
- 'As foretold in the prophecy': Elon Musk and internet react as Tesla stock hits $420 all
- Georgia State Election Board and Atlanta’s Fulton County spar over election monitor plan
- Tennessee nurse and his dog die trying to save man from Hurricane Helene floods
- How will Hurricane Milton stack up against other major recent storms?
- Realtor group picks top 10 housing hot spots for 2025: Did your city make the list?
- What is the Electoral College and how does the US use it to elect presidents?
- Critical locked gate overlooked in investigation of Maui fire evacuation
- Proof Taylor Swift Is a Member of Travis Kelce's Squad With His Friends
- The 401(k) millionaires club keeps growing. We'll tell you how to join.
- If the polls just closed, how can AP already declare a winner?
Ranking
- Spooky or not? Some Choa Chu Kang residents say community garden resembles cemetery
- 'Heartbreaking situation': Baby and 13-year-old injured in dog attack, babysitter arrested
- Law letting Tennessee attorney general argue certain capital cases is constitutional, court rules
- Honolulu’s dying palms to be replaced with this new tree — for now
- Bill Belichick's salary at North Carolina: School releases football coach's contract details
- Firefighters still on hand more than a week after start of trash fire in Maine
- New York Jets fire coach Robert Saleh after 2-3 start to season
- Opinion: WWE can continue covering for Vince McMahon or it can do the right thing
Recommendation
San Francisco names street for Associated Press photographer who captured the iconic Iwo Jima photo
'Avoid spreading false information,' FEMA warns, says agency is 'prepared to respond'
Flags fly at half-staff for Voyageurs National Park ranger who died in water rescue
Robert Saleh was reportedly 'blindsided' by being fired as Jets head coach
Opinion: Gianni Infantino, FIFA sell souls and 2034 World Cup for Saudi Arabia's billions
You Might've Missed How Pregnant Brittany Mahomes Channeled Britney Spears for NFL Game
Grazer beats the behemoth that killed her cub to win Alaska’s Fat Bear Contest
Critical locked gate overlooked in investigation of Maui fire evacuation