'General Hospital' actor Johnny Wactor dead at 37 after fatal shooting

THE STREET. HIS FAMILY TELLING OUR MORGAN CHESKY HE DIED PROTECTING A CO-WORKER. >> Reporter: TONIGHT, A STUNNING MURDER IN DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES OF SOAP OPERA STAR JOHNNY WACTOR. POLICE SAY THEY'RE SEARCHING FOR THREE SUSPECTS AFTER THE 37-YEAR-OLD WAS FATALLY SHOT EARLY SATURDAY AS HE ENCOUNTERED THIEVES TRYING TO STEAL HIS CAR'S CATALYTIC CONVERTER. WACTOR'S FAMILY TELLS NBC NEWS HE WAS LEAVING A JOB AT A DOWNTOWN BAR LATER THAN USUAL, WALKING WITH A CO-WORKER WHEN HE NOTICED A MAN NEAR HIS CAR. WACTOR'S MOTHER SAID HER SON ASKED IF HE WAS ABOUT TO BE TOWED. BUT WHEN A MAN LOOKED UP WEARING A MASK WACTOR SHIELDED HIS CO-WORKER WITH HIS BODY AND THAT SUSPECT SHOT HIM. >> IT'S JUST SUCH A SENSELESS THING. >> Reporter: SCARLET WACTOR SPOKE TO US BY PHONE. >> I HOPE THAT THEY WILL CATCH WHOEVER DID IT. I HOPE THAT THERE WILL BE SOME KIND OF JUSTICE FOR JOHNNY. >> I WANT YOU TO TELL ME. >> Reporter: WACTOR WAS BEST KNOWN FOR HIS ROLE AS BRANDO CORBIN ON "GENERAL HOSPITAL," APPEARING IN 164 EPISODES OF THE POPULAR DAYTIME SOAP. WACTOR'S COLLEAGUES REMEMBERING A DEAR FRIEND. "GENERAL HOSPITAL" POSTING "HE WAS TRULY ONE OF A KIND." HIS TV WIFE WRITING, "MY HEART IS SO UTTERLY BROKEN. JOHNNY WAS THE ABSOLUTE BEST." >> HE LIVED LIFE TO THE FULLEST. HE ALWAYS TRIED TO BE POSITIVE FOR EVERYBODY. HE WAS A LIGHT IN A DARK ROOM. AND HE WILL BE VERY MISSED. >> AND MORGAN JOINS US LIVE FROM LOS ANGELES TONIGHT. MORGAN, THIS TYPE OF THEFT TARGETING CATALYTIC CONVERTERS, IT'S GROWN SO BAD MULTIPLE STATES ARE TRYING TO CRACK DOWN? >> Reporter: YEAH, TOM, THAT'S RIGHT. AND IT'S THE PRECIOUS METALS INSIDE THESE CONVERTERS THAT THIEVES ARE REALLY AFTER HERE. THAT'S WHY MORE THAN A DOZEN STATES HAVE ENACTED LAWS NOT ONLY CRACKING DOWN ON THE THEFT HERE BUT ALSO RESALE ON THE BLACK

Channel: NBC News

Views: 21,535

Keywords: Health, International News, Lester Holt, Making A Difference, NBC Nightly News, National News, News, Nightly News, U.S. News, breaking news, evening news, politics, world news

Id: n8eNtlhcIkU

Length: 2min 8sec (128 seconds)

Published: Mon May 27 2024