The woman who was with General Hospital star Johnny Wactor when he was tragically killed on Saturday night has recalled his heroic final moments in a heartbreaking series of Instagram posts.
Anita Joy referred to Wactor, 37, as her friend of 'eight years' and described how he 'fought to stay alive' after being shot at close range as the pair were walking to their cars after finishing a bartending shift at Level 8 in downtown Los Angeles.
When they approached their vehicles, they saw three men trying to steal Wactor's car's catalytic converter around 3am.
'Everything happened in an instant. I've come to describe it as a glass of water that gets tipped over and you're scrambling to grab it and save it from spilling out completely but it just runs through your fingertips and is gone,' Joy wrote.
'We cautiously approached the men, questioning what they were doing, at first thinking the car was being towed. 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 portrayed Brando Corbin on the ABC soap opera from 2020 to 2022. He also appeared in a variety of films and TV series, including 'Station 19,' 'NCIS,' 'Westworld' and the video game 'Call of Duty: Vanguard.'
'Johnny was between me and the man who shot him — as I heard the shot ring into the night, he forcefully tumbled back into my arms and 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 went on to say that a bouncer from the bar where they worked ran over and performed but the damage was done.
'It was too close range, too extreme of a wound for him to survive it. But my God, he fought to stay.'
Joy added that she finds solace in the fact that she was with him and that Wactor did not die alone but added that remains 'heartbroken and so very angry.'
'My only other peace will be seeing these awful men brought to justice.'
In her posts, Joy showed other pictures of Wactor with the staff of Level 8, calling him 'beautiful, goofy as hell, full of work ethic and values.'
'Johnny had this incredible ability that was truly just his genuine nature — to make anyone and everyone feel so special in his eyes. No matter how well you knew him, he treated everyone like he truly cared about you,' she continued.
Joy said that the actor's nickname for her was 'Anita Bonita.'
'I hope the stamp of his voice saying that every time I saw him never leaves my memory. Just one look into his big blue eyes, followed by a big goofy grin, Johnny made you love him instantly. Absolutely one of the best men I've ever known.'
The bartender went on to call on her employers to supplying parking spaces for their late night staff for safety purposes.
Earlier this week, Scarlett Wactor, the GH star's mother, told US Weekly that she had spoken with Joy.
'[She] was very gracious in speaking with me so I could ask questions. She felt detectives were being very thorough and that made me feel comforted. I'm glad he was not alone,' the grieving mom added.
Scarlett went on to say that she's seeking justice for her son and that she does not want his death to become a 'cold case.'
There are still no arrests in the murder.
Wactor's agent, David Shaul, said the actor was 'a real moral example to everyone who knew him.'
'In the highs and lows of a challenging profession he always kept his chin up and kept striving for the best he could be,' Shaul said in a statement Sunday.
'Our time with Johnny was a privilege we would wish on everyone. He would literally give you the shirt off his back. After over a decade together, he will leave a hole in our hearts forever.'
Wactor's murder comes just weeks after California was ranked among the top 10 most dangerous states in America.
Violent crime in Los Angeles has been on the rise, with the LAPD recording a 2.9 per cent increase at the end of March 2024, compared to the same time last year.
The LAPD reported Friday that, as of the end of April, the city's rise in the number of murders in 2024 continued to decline and, as of April 27, was only 4.2 per cent above the number of murders reported at this time in 2023, NBC Los Angeles reported.
The last time the force updated robbery statistics, at the end of March 2024, thefts were up 9.5 per cent, according to ABC 7.
Around 600,000 catalytic converters are stolen each year. Most cars are equipped with one converter but those with a dual exhaust system require two. Larger vehicles such as SUVs and trucks may have more than two.
According to the New York Times, stolen catalytic converters are passed through 'middlemen, smelters and refineries in the United States and overseas.' They can be stolen in under a minute and cost around $1,000 to replace.
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