General Hospital, NCIS actor dies after interrupting alleged car theft

The 37-year-old was walking to his car with a colleague after work on the morning of May 25 when he approached a group of people standing around the vehicle, his mother Scarlett Wactor told US reporters.

His mother believes the actor thought his car was being towed as he went towards the alleged armed thieves at 3am.

The Los Angeles Police Department said he was fatally shot by one of three suspects attempting to extract the catalytic converter from his car.

The Criminal Minds actor was rushed to hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Wactor's acting colleagues have mourned his death and remembered his "genuine nature" and "kind soul" in tributes on social media.

"The entire General Hospital family is heartbroken to hear of Johnny Wactor's untimely passing," the show's official Instagram account said on May 27.

"He was truly one of a kind and a pleasure to work with each and every day. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his loved ones during this difficult time."

The 37-year-old played Brando Corbin in more than 160 episodes of the US soap opera General Hospital from 2020 to 2022 when his character was written out of the show.

He is also credited with roles in Westworld, Animal Kingdom, NCIS and the 2016 Nicolas Cage movie USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage among others.

He is survived by his mother and his brothers Lance and Grant.