"Taken way too soon": TV star's brother breaks silence after shocking death
The grieving brother of slain TV star Johnny Wactor has broken his silence over his brother's untimely death.
Johnny Wactor, 37, was killed in Los Angeles in the early hours of Saturday morning when he intercepted a group of men trying to steal the catalytic converter from his vehicle, and was shot dead at the scene.
Now, Wactor's brother Grant has shared more details on the events surrounding his Johnny's death, telling People magazine that he had finished a shift working as a bartender at the time he was shot.
After his shift finished at about 3:25am local time, he walked to his car with a female co-worker when he noticed that his car had been “jacked up or lifted in some way”.
Initially, the actor thought his car was being towed away, but quickly realised the people surrounding his car were not tow-truck drivers.
Grant said his brother physically shielded his female colleague to prevent her from being hurt and had his hands up in the air when he was shot.
“He did not confront them,” he told the publication. “He did not try to stop them. He was just trying to diffuse the situation by stepping back.”
After the shooting the men fled the scene in a different car, and LAPD officer Jeff Lee said the suspects were “still outstanding”.
Grant Wactor said his family were “hoping and praying” that the killers were found and brought to justice.
“We just want (them to be found) as quickly as possible and correctly,” he said, describing his brother as “a good person”.
“He was taken way too early, and no one should be taken like this at all,” he said.
“He touched a lot of people. He believed in his core values to the end, and he lived life to the fullest the way he wanted to. And he was happy doing that.”
Image credits: Instagram / Ouzounova / Shutterstock Editorial