The brother of General Hospital actor Johnny Wactor has revealed that his brother died when he was defending a female co-worker from an attacker.

The 37-year-old was shot dead by robbers who were attempting to steal the catalytic converter from his car.

He had been walking a co-worker to her vehicle when he came across the criminals, and in his efforts to confront them and protect his co-worker, he was shot dead.

His brother Grant has shared more details about his brother’s final moments and what made him act in the way that he did.

“We’re Southern, born and raised, and we would never let a female walk to their car by herself,” the grieving brother 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.”

Thieves fled the scene

According to the Los Angeles Police Department’s assessment of the scene, Wactor was backing away from the thieves and protecting the co-worker when he was shot.

The thieves were all wearing masks and were not identified as of Monday morning, having fled the scene in a separate car.

“We are completely devastated,” Wactor’s grandmother, Barbara, told The Daily Mail. “He was just walking to his car. It’s senseless.”

The actor‘s mom, Scarlett Wactor, also told NBC News how her son has stepped in front fo the co-worker to protect her, calling him “a light in a dark room.”

“There is a huge hole in all of us, and there is no fixing that,” she said.