The bar where General Hospital actor Johnny Wactor worked has shared a statement about his tragic death.
Wactor was shot and killed early Saturday morning during a suspected catalytic converter theft after working a late night at Level 8 in downtown Los Angeles. He was 37.
On Friday, Level 8 shared a photo of Wactor on their Instagram, as well as a lengthy tribute to the actor — best known for his role as Brando Corbin on General Hospital.
“It is with a heavy heart that we mourn a valued and cherished team member, Johnny Wactor, whom we lost to a random act of violence a week ago,” the statement read. “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.”
“At Level 8, we take safety very seriously,” the statement continued. “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.”
On Thursday, ET spoke with Anita Joy — the co-worker that was with Wactor when he was killed — and she said she would not be returning to work at Level 8, citing in part the unsafe parking environment for after-hours employees.
“There’s a lot of parking there that our employers could easily find a way to provide for us, whether it’s only the late-night staff or after a certain time, something like that,” she explained. “There’s plenty of parking but they want to use that for their patrons rather than keep their bar staff safe.”
“This is something that they’ve promised us from the beginning,” she added, explaining that the promise was enticing for employees who may have otherwise had reservations about working downtown. “It was constantly brought up by employees, HR has been notified about it this entire time, prior to this, and they just never provided it for us.”
Level 8 concluded their statement by sharing the link to Wactor’s family’s GoFundMe and information on Crime Stoppers, as the suspects in the shooting remain at large.
“We understand that a tragedy such as this impacts everyone differently and profoundly,” they said. “We are committed to providing a safe and supportive environment for everyone at Level 8.”
On Thursday, a report from the Los Angeles County Coroner obtained by ET, confirmed that Wactor died by homicide, with the manner of death being a gunshot wound to the chest.
“I just love him dearly and everyone did. I’m just grateful for him. He was such a goofy, kind person and made everybody feel loved by him and seen by him,” Joy told ET of her friend and co-worker. “He just wanted so many good things for everyone all the time. There wasn’t a negative bone in his body… He was just so kind; kindness just oozed out of him. He made everybody feel so good. It just came naturally to him, that was his character.”
