General Hospital actor Johnny Wactor was shielding coworker when he was shot and killed during suspected theft

Actor Johnny Wactor had been shielding a colleague when he was fatally shot, his brother has said.

The General Hospital actor had been finishing up a shift on his side job at a rooftop bar with a female colleague at around 3.25am on Saturday (May 25).

Wactor and his colleague had encountered three men near to his car in the area of West Pico Boulevard and South Hope Street.

At first, Wactor had believed that the men were there to tow his car, and approached them to try and discuss it.

It was that at this point that one of the men pull out a gun and pointed it at Wactor, his brother Grant said.

Wactor put himself in front of his coworker, and was then fatally shot.

Police said that the three men, who were all wearing masks, then fled in a car together.

Johnny Wactor was shot after finishing a bar shift. (Gilbert Carrasquillo/GC Images)

Speaking to the Daily Mail, Grant said: "He came across them and he thought his truck was being towed. So he said something to the guys, like, 'Hey, are you towing?'

“And then once he turned around, he saw what was happening and he put his coworker behind him. And that’s when they shot him.”

Grant said that he was not surprised that his brother had put others first, saying: "We're Southern, born and raised, and we would never let a female walk to their car by herself."

Grant went on to say that Wactor had not attempted to fight back against the three men, and had been backing away when the shot was fired.

Wactor's grandmother Barbara explained that he had often picked up side hustles as a bartender.

Wactor is known for his role in General Hospital. (Sjodin/ABC via Getty Images)

She told the Daily Mail: "We are completely devastated. He was just walking to his car. It's senseless."

Paying tribute to his brother, Grant said: "My brother was probably the hardest working person I've ever met in my life. He was a great brother and son.

"Anyone he touched, he made a great impact. He was as charismatic in real life as he was on camera. And he was always genuine, through and through."

Micah Parker worked with Wactor on what became his final project.

Parker paid tribute to Wactor, saying: "This guy deserved the front page on Deadline for his talent, his skill and his art – not this.

“I’m very angry that this kind of stuff is tolerated.”

Wactor was a regular on General Hospital, appearing in more than 160 episodes between 2020 and 2022 as the Brando Corbin.