Summerville native who starred in General Hospital killed by thieves in L.A. shooting (2024)

Summerville native and former "General Hospital" actor Johnny Wactor was shot and killed when he interrupted thieves stealing the catalytic converter from his car in Los Angeles, his family said Sunday.

The shooting occurred around 3 a.m. Saturday when Wactor approached three men in downtown L.A., according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

Wactor, a 2004 graduate of Summerville High School, was the oldest of three brothers, and he started out as a shepherd boy in Summerville Baptist Church's Singing Christmas Tree production. He went on to Rollings Middle School of the Arts, Summerville High and the College of Charleston before moving to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career.

His mother, Scarlett Wactor, told ABC 7 that her 37-year-old son had left work at a rooftop bar with a coworker when he saw someone at his car and thought it was being towed. A mask-wearing suspect opened fire, his mother said.

Three suspects drove away from the scene, police said. Wactor was rushed to a hospital, where he died.

There were no arrests as of late Sunday.

Wactor told The Post and Courier in 2013 that he and his best friend, Dusty Morrow, decided to move to Los Angeles after college.

"I was kind of hesitant to study theater when I came to high school, because high school can be a lot of peer pressure and you always want to fit in and be cool," Wactor said at the time. "I was a little nervous, but I was like, 'You know what? I don't care.' I did it and I loved it and I am so glad I stuck with it."

He studied business administration and Spanish in college and scored roles on the "Army Wives" series. After his graduation from the College of Charleston in 2009, as promised, he and Morrow moved to L.A.

“Acting is not an easy thing to do and not an easy industry to get into,” he told The Summerville Journal Scene in 2013. “You have to be willing to bust your butt, and you’re going to have to make a lot of sacrifices.”

Wactor’s agent, David Shaul, said the actor was “a real moral example to everyone who knew him.”

“In the highs and lows of a challenging profession he always kept his chin up and kept striving for the best he could be,” Shaul said in a statement Sunday. “Our time with Johnny was a privilege we would wish on everyone. He would literally give you the shirt off his back. After over a decade together, he will leave a hole in our hearts forever.”

Wactor portrayed Brando Corbin on the ABC soap opera from 2020 to 2022. He also appeared in a variety of films and TV series, including “Station 19,” “NCIS,” “Westworld” and the video game “Call of Duty: Vanguard.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.