The woman who was with General Hospital star Johnny Wactor when he was tragically killed Saturday night is recalling his heroic final moments in a heartbreaking series of Instagram posts.
Anita Joy called Wactor, 37, her boyfriend of ‘eight years’ and described how he was ‘fighting to stay alive’ after being shot at close range as the pair walked to their car after finishing a bartending shift on Level 8 in the Centre. Los Angeles.
As they approached their vehicles, they saw three men trying to steal the catalytic converter from Wactor’s car around 3 a.m.
‘Everything happened in the blink of an eye. I’ve come to describe it as a glass of water tipping over and you try to grab it and stop it from completely pouring out, but it just runs through your fingertips and is gone,” Joy wrote.
‘We approached the men cautiously, wondering what they were doing. At first we thought the car was being towed away. We posed no threat and Johnny remained calm, as he always did, simply saying it was his car and they had to leave. Hands open to his sides in peace.’
Anita Joy, who was with Johnny Wactor when he was killed, posted this photo of the couple to her Instagram Story on Wednesday evening
Joy has described her anger over Wactor’s death, but is grateful he did not die alone
Wactor played Brando Corbin on the ABC soap opera from 2020 to 2022. He also appeared in several films and TV series.
Wactor played Brando Corbin on the ABC soap opera from 2020 to 2022. He also appeared in several films and TV series, including ‘Station 19’, ‘NCIS’, ‘Westworld’ and the video game ‘Call of Duty: Vanguard’. ‘
‘Johnny stood between me and the man who shot him – when I heard the shot ring out into the night, he fell forcefully back into my arms and as I grabbed him I shouted, ‘Hunny, are you okay?’
‘And he just replied, ‘No! Shot!’ We fell to the street, where I pushed my legs under him and tried to hold his body up while I screamed for help and yelled at him to stay with me.”
Joy went on to say that a bouncer from the bar where they worked ran over and resigned, but the damage had already been done.
‘It was too close and too extreme a wound to survive. But my God, he fought to stay.”
Joy added that she finds comfort in the fact that she was with him and that Wactor did not die alone, but added that she remains “heartbroken and so very angry.”
“My only other peace will be that these terrible men are brought to justice.”
In her posts, Joy showed other photos of Wactor with the Level 8 staff, calling him “beautiful, goofy as hell, full of work ethic and values.”
“Johnny had this incredible ability that was truly part of his true nature: to make everyone feel so special in his eyes. No matter how well you knew him, he treated everyone like he really cared about you,” she continued.
‘It was too close and too extreme a wound to survive. But my God, he fought to stay,” Joy said of the gunshot wound that killed him
Johnny Wactor (left) pictured with his family, who are now preparing to take his body to South Carolina where they will mourn him
Joy said the actor’s nickname for her was “Anita Bonita.”
“I hope that the stamp of his voice saying that every time I saw him will never fade from my memory. Just one look into his big blue eyes, followed by a big goofy grin, and Johnny made you love him instantly. Absolutely one of the best men I’ve ever known.’
The bartender then called on her employers to make parking spaces available for their night staff for safety reasons.
Earlier this week, Scarlett Wactor, the GH star’s mother, said American weekly that she had spoken to Joy.
‘[She] was very kind to talk to me so I could ask questions. She thought that the detectives were very thorough and that gave me a feeling of peace. I’m glad he wasn’t alone,” the grieving mother added.
Scarlett went on to say that she is seeking justice for her son and that she does not want his death to become a cold case.
No arrests have yet been made in connection with the murder.
Wactor’s agent, David Shaul, said the actor was “a true moral example to all who knew him.”
“Through the highs and lows of a challenging profession, he always kept his chin up and continued to strive to be the best he could be,” Shaul said in a statement Sunday.
‘Our time with Johnny was a privilege that we wish for everyone. He would literally give you the shirt off his back. After more than ten years together, he will forever leave a hole in our hearts.’
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 percent increase at the end of March 2024, compared to the same time last year.
The LAPD reported Friday that the city’s 2024 homicide increase continued to decline in late April and as of April 27 was only 4.2 percent higher than the homicide rate reported at this point in 2023. NBC Los Angeles reports this.
The last time the department updated robbery statistics, in late March 2024, thefts were up 9.5 percent, according to ABC 7.
About 600,000 catalytic converters are stolen every year. Most cars are equipped with one inverter, but cars 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 abroad.” They can be stolen in a minute and cost about $1,000 to replace.