A fundraiser for slain actor Johnny Wactor has raised more than $64,000 in just over 24 hours, as his family grapples with the fact that those involved in his murder are still on the run from authorities.
Wactor, best known for his work on "General Hospital," and a co-worker had just left a shift at a downtown Los Angeles bar at around 3:25 a.m. Sunday when a masked suspect near Wactor's vehicle shot him and then drove off with two other men. The 37-year-old actor was rushed to the hospital but later died there, police said.
Investigators believe the suspects were trying to steal the catalytic converter from Wactor's vehicle as they had raised it with a floor jack, though the actor allegedly approached the men believing they were just towing his car. None of the suspects have been caught.
Obituaries
'General Hospital' actor Johnny Wactor dies after being shot in Los Angeles
Writing on a GoFundMe page — with more than 565 donations amounting to more than $64,500 as of Tuesday afternoon — Wactor's godmother Michaelle Kinard said his mother and his brothers will be going "the distance of 2,000 miles (the many times it may take) to take care of this heartbreaking business which they have been sentenced." Kinard is hoping to raise enough funds for their travels, with any excess funds to be donated to charities "the family chooses in memory of Johnny."
"With God's will, the killer will be arrested, and the family will see him face-to-face," Kinard wrote. "This may help bring closure to this tragedy."
Wactor's mother Scarlett spoke to NBC News about the incident, saying her son stepped in front of his female co-worker when the gunman fired. She called her son a "hero" and the unidentified suspects "evil" "cowards."
Wactor moved from Charleston, South Carolina, to Hollywood to fulfill his dreams of being an actor. He eventually landed a gig on the long-running soap opera "General Hospital," where he played Brando Corbin from 2020 to 2022. He also had roles in "Westworld," "Criminal Minds," "Siberia," "Station 19" and the video game "Call of Duty: Vanguard."