General Hospital (GH) news reveals that the co-worker with alum Johnny Wactor (Brando Corbin) when he was shot during a botch robbery attempt on Saturday is speaking out.
Anita Joy had not been identified until now, she has shared Wactor’s final words in a series of Instagram posts.
General Hospital News – Johnny Wactor’s Friend Speaks Out
Joy confirmed reports that she and Wactor were walking to their cars early Saturday after their bartending shift at Level 8 in downtown Los Angeles.
She called Wactor a friend of “eight years” and said he “fought to stay alive” after they saw three men in the process of stealing the catalytic converter from Wactor’s vehicle around 3 am and one of them shot him at in the chest at close range.
GH Spoilers – Johnny Wactor Murdered in Downton LA
Joy said that the actor’s nickname for her was ‘Anita Bonita’ and she wrote: “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.”
She added “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.”
General Hospital News – Johnny Wactor Dead At Age 37
Joy wrote: “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.”
A bouncer from the bar where they worked heard her, ran over, and performed CPR but the bullet hit at “too close range, too extreme of a wound for him to survive it. But my God, he fought to stay.”
Joy shared pictures of Wactor with the staff of Level 8, calling him “beautiful, goofy as hell, full of work ethic and values.” She said that the former soap star “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.”
Her words echo the heartfelt sentiments shared on social media by his GH colleagues who describe a man filled with compassion and respect for life.
GH Spoilers – Johnny Wactor’s Coworker Describes His Death
She concluded “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.”
Johnny’s mother, Scarlett Wactor, 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.”
After Johnny’s murder his former fiancé released an emotional video in which she talked about Johnny, and Scarlett later told TMZ that while the family appreciated her feelings, she had not been in contact with Johnny nor the family for 2-3 years.
There are still no arrests in the murder and according to the Daily Mail, “Wactor’s murder comes just weeks after California was ranked among the top 10 most dangerous states in America … with the LAPD recording a 2.9 per cent increase at the end of March 2024, compared to the same time last year.”
Most cars are equipped with one catalytic converter and roughly 600,000 catalytic converters are stolen each year. According to the New York Times, they can be stolen in under a minute and cost around $1,000 to replace.
Wactor portrayed Brando Corbin on the GH from 2020 to 2022. His credits include ‘Station 19,’ ‘NCIS,’ ‘Westworld’ and the video game ‘Call of Duty: Vanguard.’
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