Owners of the downtown Los Angeles bar/restaurant where actor Johnny Wactor worked as a bartender — and which he and a co-worker were leaving when the former “General Hospital” regular was fatally shot — said Friday they are looking for ways to improve safety for employees.
Wactor, 37, was shot early last Saturday near Hope Street and Pico Boulevard while walking with a co-worker toward his car after the bar/restaurant Level 8 had closed, and the pair encountered a crew attempting to steal the catalytic converter from Wactor’s car. Level 8 is located in the 1200 block of South Figueroa Street.
“At Level 8, we take safety very seriously,” according to a social media post from the establishment Friday. “Since we opened, we have provided the option for security escorts to the nearby parking lot to our staff after hours. And in light of this tragic incident, we have been talking to our team and professionals in the field, and are actively researching additional safety measures for our staff.
“We understand that a tragedy such as this impacts everyone differently and profoundly. We are committed to providing a safe and supportive environment for everyone at Level 8.”
The owners called Wactor “a valued and cherished team member” who was lost “to a random act of violence.”
“This has been difficult to process for all who knew him. He was beloved amongst his peers and co-workers, and we will all miss his talent and generous spirit. Our hearts go out to his family and everyone affected by this senseless, terrible tragedy.”
The co-worker who was with Wactor when he was shot posted online earlier this week her description of what transpired. As part of her social media post, Anita Joy added, “Level 8 needs to provide parking for their late hour staff as they originally promised. This cannot be something that isn’t responded to with action. It needs to be addressed in a manner to prevent anything like this every happening again to the best of their ability. Level 8 needs to contribute to Johnny’s family to honor and respect him for all the hard work and effort he did for them.”
The Level 8 post included a link to a GoFundMe page that has been established for Wactor’s family. As of Friday afternoon, the page at www.gofundme.com/f/justice-for-johnny-family-support had raised nearly $110,000.
According to the Los Angeles Police Department, Wactor was walking to his vehicle with Joy in the 1200 block of Hope Street, near West Pico Boulevard, at about 3:25 a.m. Saturday.
“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,” police said in a statement. “Without provocation, the victim was shot by one of the individuals.
“The three suspects involved were wearing all dark clothing and driving a dark colored sedan. The suspects fled northbound on Hope Street.”
Paramedics rushed Wactor to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Catalytic converters are popular targets for thieves because they are rich in precious metals that can be resold.
In her social media post this week, Joy wrote, “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. 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.”
According to Joy, a security guard from their workplace was nearby and ran to them while calling 911, then tied a jacket around Wactor in hopes of stopping the bleeding, and tried to perform CPR.
“It was too close range, too extreme of a wound for him to survive it but my god, he fought to stay,” Joy wrote. “I am utterly heartbroken and so very angry. My only peace is that I was with him and this didn’t happen to him alone — my only other peace will be seeing these awful men brought to justice.”
Wactor appeared on nearly 200 episodes of “General Hospital” from 2020-22. His other credits included “Westworld,” “The OA,” “NCIS,” “Station 19,” “Criminal Minds” and “Hollywood Girl.”
Joy wrote lovingly of Wactor in her Instagram post, writing, “My friend of 8 years went from laughing together, working side by side, leaving our bartending shift and walking to our cars, to him dying in my arms in the streets of DTLA in the dark hours of 3am.”
“Johnny had this incredible ability that was truly just his genuine nature — to make anyone and everyone feel so special in his eyes,” she wrote. “No matter how well you knew him, he treated everyone like he truly cared about you. He lit up any room — you couldn’t not smile around him. His energy was magnetic and pulled you in so effortlessly — you were safe with him. He treated everyone with love, respect, compassion and he really `saw’ you. He was beautiful, goofy as hell, full of work ethic and values, he never put people down, even when joking, he never made you feel unsure of yourself — he knew how to be hilarious in such a positive way and it just made him that much more lovable.”
Anyone with information about the suspects was urged to call the LAPD’s Central Station at 213-486-6606. Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477 or visit lacrimestoppers.org.