"General Hospital" actor Johnny Victor was shot and killed in LA.

 

Actor Johnny Victor, known for his work on the daytime drama "General Hospital," was shot and killed while intervening in a crime in Los Angeles, according to his family and police.

Johnny Victor mother, Scarlett Victor, confirmed his death in the incident. Johnny Victor was 37 years old.

Scarlett Victor described her son as "a light in a dark room."

After more than a decade together, Johnny Victor will leave a hole in our hearts forever."

The Los Angeles police did not confirm the victim's identity, or give an account of the incident.

The police department reported that around 3:25 a.m. on Sunday, the victim came upon three individuals removing a catalytic converter from a vehicle near the corner of Pico Boulevard and Hope Street in southwest Los Angeles.

One of the three people fired a shot, killing the victim Johnny Victor, who was pronounced dead.

Scarlett Victor said by phone from South Carolina that her son was bartending at a rooftop venue nearby, helping with "deep cleaning" after the last call, and was walking to his car with three coworkers.

She said two coworkers left in a different direction to get to their cars, leaving her son and another colleague. They came to his car, which was jacked up, and thought it was being towed because he had parked it in an unfamiliar spot, knowing he would be working later than usual.

He stepped in front of his colleague and asked someone on the ground next to his car if it was being towed, at which point the person shot him.

Police said the two other individuals described were waiting in a car.

Scarlett Victor said Johnny Victor, from Charleston, South Carolina, wanted to act since elementary school. After attending Rollings, Middle School of the Arts in South Carolina and moving to Hollywood, he stayed in touch with his theater instructor, she said.

Johnny Victor continued honing his skills by taking acting classes or auditing when he could. Scarlett Victor said he also enjoyed climbing whenever he had the time.

The industry was no joyride, and at one point, Scarlett Victor said, "I thought he was going to starve out there."

He made his television debut in Lifetime's "West Views" and eventually appeared in 164 episodes of "General Hospital," where he played Brando, the son of Gladys Corbin, portrayed by Bonnie Burroughs, according to the Internet Movie Database (IMDB).

According to IMDB, he also appeared on the TV show "Westworld" and voiced a character in the video game "Call of Duty: Vanguard."

Scarlett Victor said his acting might help her cope with the loss.

"I think when I see Johnny Victor in video recordings, I can only hope Johnny Victor doing that in heaven and enjoying it," she said No one has been arrested yet.

The crime happened not far from the Crypto Arena, where the Lakers play their home games.

Catalytic converter thieves target the anti-pollution devices for their valuable metals—platinum, palladium, and rhodium—whose prices soared before and during the coronavirus pandemic.

According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, thefts peaked nationwide in 2022. States from California to Rhode Island have enacted legislation to make it harder to buy and sell stolen catalytic converters and the metals inside them.