Johnny Wactor’s Co-Worker Anita Joy Speaks Out About His Last Moments

Actor Johnny Wactor’s friend and co-worker Anita Joy is breaking her silence in a heart-wrenching Instagram post about the night he was shot and killed in downtown L.A.

On Saturday, they were leaving work after a bartending shift at Level 8 when they came upon car thieves, who reportedly shot him without provocation.

Anita shared, “I’ve needed to take some time to collect myself and my thoughts. I was with Johnny in his last moments and I’m here to be his voice after such unimaginable events.”

Recounting the tragic night, she wrote, “He was killed senselessly by a coward who reacted without care of the gorgeous life he was taking. So I’m angry, I’m sad and I’m all the feelings at once… but above all, I am here for Johnny’s justice.”

“My friend of 8 years went from laughing together, working side by side, leaving our bartending shift and walking to our cars, to him dying in my arms in the streets of DTLA in the dark hours of 3am… Everything happened in an instant, I’ve come to describe it as a glass of water that gets tipped over and you’re scrambling to grab it and save it from spilling out completely but it just runs through your fingertips and is gone.”

Joy recalled, “We cautiously approached the men, questioning what they were doing, at first thinking the car was being towed. We were no threat and Johnny kept his cool as he always did, simply stating that it was his car and for them to leave. Hands open to his sides in peace. Johnny was between me and the man who shot him - as I heard the shot ring into the night, he forcefully tumbled back into my arms and as I grabbed for him, I shouted, ‘Hunny you ok?!’ And he only responded, ‘Nope! Shot!’ We toppled onto the street where I pushed my legs under him and tried to hold his body up while screaming for help and screaming at him to stay with me.”

She recounted that soon after, a security guard from work named Bryan came upon the scene. He “ran to us with 911 on the phone - we tied my denim jacket around him to stop the bleeding and Bryan proceeded to try CPR on him. I’m so thankful for Bryan showing up, trying with all his might to save Johnny. It was too close range, too extreme of a wound for him to survive it but my god, he fought to stay.”

Joy continued, “I am utterly heartbroken and so very angry. My only peace is that I was with him and this didn’t happen to him alone - my only other peace will be seeing these awful men brought to justice.”

Anita also remembered her “hilarious” and “lovable” friend, writing, “Johnny had this incredible ability that was truly just his genuine nature - to make anyone and everyone feel so special in his eyes. No matter how well you knew him, he treated everyone like he truly cared about you. He lit up any room - you couldn’t not smile around him. His energy was magnetic and pulled you in so effortlessly - you were safe with him. He treated everyone with love, respect, compassion and he really ‘saw’ you.

“He was beautiful, goofy as hell, full of work ethic and values, he never put people down, even when joking, he never made you feel unsure of yourself - he knew how to be hilarious in such a positive way and it just made him that much more lovable. It just filled your heart to be around him. He called me ‘Anita Bonita’ and I hope the stamp of his voice saying that every time I saw him never leaves my memory. Just one look into his big blue eyes, followed by a big goofy grin, Johnny made you love him instantly. Absolutely one of the best men I’ve ever known. I’m so grateful to have been a part of his world and him, mine.”

Joy revealed her “heart is shattered with his loss,” adding, “I have gained the best guardian Angel out there.”

She also shared a GoFundMe page to support Johnny’s family during this difficult time.

“Extra’s” Melvin Robert recently spoke with Johnny’s mother Scarlett and brothers Grant and Lance, who said they are devastated by his murder.

Grant didn’t think the news was “real” at first. He said, “I called him, three or four times, tried to text him… No one was 100% sure… That is what they had been told by friends of friends… I was calling the hospital, called the police as many times I could, had a hard time getting through until I finally got somebody to put me in touch with the detective. Once I got a hold of the detective, we were pretty confident that we were right.”

“It was mostly shocking and not thinking that it was real,” Grant noted of how he felt in that moment. “You can’t make sense of it.”

Lance spoke with Johnny “six days before” the tragedy, saying, “Had a nice conversation with him and didn’t think that would be the last time I would have one with him.”

He emphasized, “The worst part is that you don’t get another one.”

According to Scarlett, Johnny would have given the car to the thieves.

When asked if they were surprised that he stepped in front of his co-worker, Grant commented, “Nothing surprised me about it.”