At the Level 8 night club, Johnny Wactor was protecting his co-worker, Anita Joy, who was working as a bartender, from gunshots on May 25. He was murdered in the process. He was 37 years old.
This is the first time that Anita Joy has spoken. A few days after Johnny Wactor passed away while protecting Joy during a shooting in Los Angeles on May 25, his bartending co-worker turned to Instagram to discuss the awful event.
Joy started her long message on Wednesday by saying, “I’ve needed to take some time to collect myself and my thoughts,” which was the beginning of her post. “I was with Johnny in his last moments and I’m here to be his voice after such unimaginable events.”
“He was killed senselessly by a coward who reacted without care for the beautiful life he was taking,” Joy said. “He was taking a beautiful life.” I am upset, I am crying, and I am experiencing all of these emotions at the same time, but above all else, I am here to see that Johnny is treated fairly.
Joy claims that the shooting took place early on Saturday morning, when she and the 37-year-old actor from General Hospital were finishing their job as bartenders.
“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,” she wrote, in addition to explaining that the “basic details of this horrific story” essentially boil down “to a few criminals trying to steal a car part.”
Continuing, Joy said that everything took place in a single moment. “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 said in her article that she and Wactor “cautiously approached the men, questioning what they were doing, at first thinking the car was being towed.” Joy and Wactor first believed that the automobile was being taken.
In the same manner that he usually did, Johnny maintained his composure and just said that it was his vehicle and that they should go. We posed no danger. “Hands of peace extended to his sides,” Joy said in her letter. “Johnny was in the between of me and the person who had shot him. Just as I heard the shot ring out into the night, he threw himself back into my arms with great force. As I reached for him, I said, ‘Hunny, your ok?!’ All he could say in response was, “Nope!” Assault!'”
Joy continued by saying that she and Wactor “tumbled onto the street,” where she “tried to hold his body up” as she was “screaming for help and screaming at him to stay with me.” Joy concluded by saying that she and Wactor “toppled onto the street.”
Almost immediately, a security guy by the name of Bryan raced out onto the street while calling 911, according to Joy. After that, she and Bryan “tied my denim jacket” around Wactor in an effort to halt the blood that was occurring because of the injury. Joy said that Bryan attempted to conduct cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on Wactor.
“I’m so thankful for Bryan showing up, trying with all his might to save Johnny,” Joy concluded her letter. “It was too close range, too extreme of a wound for him to survive it but my god, he fought to stay.”
Joy said that she is “completely and utterly heartbroken and so very angry” at this moment.
“My only peace is that I was with him and this didn’t happen to him alone,” she wrote in her journal. “My only other peace will be seeing these awful men brought to justice.”
Joy continued to elaborate on her connection with Wactor by describing him as a person and sharing additional information about it in the description of her photo.
In Johnny’s view, he had this great skill that was actually simply his true character. He had the power to make everybody and everyone feel like they were someone unique. She noted that regardless of how well you knew him, he treated everyone as if he actually cared about them for the same reason. When you were in his presence, it was impossible not to have a grin on your face. Due to the fact that his energy was magnetic and readily drew you in, you felt secure when you were with him.
“He treated everyone with love, respect, compassion and he really ‘saw’ you,” Joy said in addition. He never pushed people down, even when he was kidding, and he never made you feel uncertain of yourself. He understood how to be humorous in such a good manner, and it only made him that much more loved. He was handsome, silly as hell, and full of work ethic and values. He was also full of work ethic and values. Simply being in his presence allowed your heart to feel full.
Joy continues to remark, “He called me ‘Anita Bonita’ and 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,” she said in response. A man who is without a doubt among the very finest I’ve ever known. I am very thankful that I was able to be a part of his world and that he was a part of mine. The news of his passing has left me with a broken heart, but I am certain that I have found the most wonderful guardian angel in the world. You are really wonderful, Johnny Wacky.
In the latter part of her message, Joy urged her fans to contribute to the GoFundMe account that was established by the late actor’s family. She also requested that the night club where she and Wactor worked offer parking for their late-night workers.
Following the tragic event that occurred on Saturday, when Wactor was shot and passed, his mother, Scarlett, together with his two brothers, Lance and Grant, made a virtual appearance on Good Morning America to discuss the incident. They referred to the late actor as “a wonderful person.”
During this time, producers from General Hospital issued a statement to ET in which they discussed the latest developments. The character of Brando Corbin, whom Wactor portrayed on the soap opera, was recalled as being “truly one of a kind and a pleasure to work with each and every day.”
Tessa Farrell, who had previously been Johnny’s fiancee, finally spoke her opinion on TikTok, describing him as “a bright soul.” Then, in an interview with ET, Farrell lauded her ex-boyfriend for his chivalrous behavior in his last moments, adding, “He was a very noble man and always did the right thing.” I am not in the least bit shocked by it due to the fact that he was the sort of person who would take charge and act in a morally responsible manner.
On Wednesday, ET was able to receive the report from the Los Angeles County Coroner, which revealed that Wactor had been murdered and that a gunshot wound to the chest was the cause of loss.