Two teenagers have been charged with murder over the shooting of US actor Jonny Wactor.
Robert Barceleau and Sergio Estrada, both 18, were charged in the Los Angeles County Superior Court on Monday, District Attorney George Gascon said at a news conference.
Another 18-year-old who authorities allege was with them, Leonel Gutierrez, was charged with grand theft and attempted robbery.
A fourth, 22-year-old Frank Olano, was charged with being an accessory after the fact.
All four men were arrested on Thursday.
Wactor, 37, was best known for his role as Brando Corbin in the long-running US soap opera General Hospital between 2020 and 2022.
He was shot dead when he interrupted three thieves stealing the catalytic converter from his car on 25 May.
Police said Wactor had left a rooftop bar in downtown Los Angeles when he saw three men who had hoisted his car.
Officers said one of them fired at him without provocation and killed him.
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The men fled in a car and Wactor was taken to hospital, where he was later declared dead, police said.
“The loss of this talented young actor, who was in the prime of his life and had so much to offer the world, is deeply felt by all of us,” Mr Gascon said.
Wactor had also appeared in a variety of films and TV series, including Station 19, NCIS and Westworld, as well as in the video game Call Of Duty: Vanguard.
At a news conference earlier in the week, his mother described the feeling of losing him.
“Grief is my constant companion,” Scarlett Wactor said.
“I can’t wish him happy birthday on August 31 – he would have been 38. I can’t ask if he’s coming home for Christmas. I can’t ask how his day went.”
Image: Police released this image of three suspects wanted over the killing of Johnny Wactor. Pic: LAPD
Teens face further charges
Barceleau and Estrada were also both charged with grand theft and attempted robbery.
Barceleau’s charges include special circumstances, including murder during an attempted robbery and personal use of a firearm, that after a conviction could lead to a life sentence without possibility of parole.
Estrada’s charges have a maximum sentence of life in prison.
Barceleau has been held without bail, while bail for Estrada has been set at just over $1m (£769,865).
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Wactor’s death has become a rallying point for some in the city pushing for a more hardline approach to fighting crime.
A group consisting of family and friends calling itself “Justice for Johnny” held a rally last week calling for more urgency in the investigation, and another on Monday morning calling for aggressive prosecution.
Police and public officials said that is what is already happening.
Los Angeles Police Department Interim Chief Dominic Choi said at Monday’s news conference that the investigation has been an “ongoing and relentless pursuit” in a “very difficult case.”
Mayor Karen Bass added in a statement that “we must continue to take aggressive action to make our city safer”.
Donald Trump has said he plans to hit Canada with a 35% tariff on imported goods, as he warned of a blanket 15 or 20% hike for most other countries.
In a letter to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, the US president wrote: “I must mention that the flow of Fentanyl is hardly the only challenge we have with Canada, which has many Tariff, and Non-Tariff, Policies and Trade Barriers.”
Mr Trump’s tariffs were allegedly an effort to get Canada to crack down on fentanyl smuggling, and the US president has expressed frustration with Canada’s trade deficit with the US.
In a statement Mr Carney said: “Throughout the current trade negotiations with the United States, the Canadian government has steadfastly defended our workers and businesses. We will continue to do so as we work towards the revised deadline of August 1.”
He added: “Canada has made vital progress to stop the scourge of fentanyl in North America. We are committed to continuing to work with the United States to save lives and protect communities in both our countries.”
The higher rates would go into effect on 1 August.
Shortly after Mr Trump unveiled his “Liberation Day” tariffs on 2 April, there was a huge sell-off on the financial markets. The US president later announced a 90-day negotiating period, during which a 10% baseline tariff would be charged on most imported goods.
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“We’re just going to say all of the remaining countries are going to pay, whether it’s 20% or 15%. We’ll work that out now,” he said.
He added: “I think the tariffs have been very well-received. The stock market hit a new high today.”
The US and UK signed a trade deal in June, with the US president calling it “a fair deal for both” and saying it will “produce a lot of jobs, a lot of income”.
Sir Keir Starmer said the document “implements” the deal to cut tariffs on cars and aerospace, adding: “So this is a very good day for both of our countries – a real sign of strength.”
It comes as Russia’s deputy foreign minister, Sergei Ryabkov, said a new round of talks between Moscow and Washington on bilateral problems could take place before the end of the summer.
A Palestinian activist who was detained for over three months in a US immigration jail after protesting against Israel is suing Donald Trump’s administration for $20m (£15m) in damages.
Lawyers for Mahmoud Khalil have filed a claim against the administration alleging he was falsely imprisoned, maliciously prosecuted and smeared as an antisemite as the government sought to deport him over his role in campus protests.
He described “plain-clothed agents and unmarked cars” taking him “from one place to another, expecting you just to follow orders and shackled all the time”, which he said was “really scary”.
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Mahmoud Khalil reunites with family after release
Mr Khalil said he was not presented with an arrest warrant and wasn’t told where he was being taken.
He said the detention centre he was taken to was “as far from humane as it could be” and “a place where you have no rights whatsoever”.
“You share a dorm with over 70 men with no privacy, with lights on all the time, with really terrible food. You’re basically being dehumanised at every opportunity. It’s a black hole,” he added.
Mr Khalil said he would also accept an official apology from the Trump administration.
The Trump administration celebrated Mr Khalil’s arrest, promising to deport him and others whose protests against Israel it declared were “pro-terrorist, antisemitic, anti-American activity”.
Mr Khalil said after around 36 hours in captivity he was allowed to speak to his wife, who was pregnant at the time.
“These were very scary hours, I did not know what was happening on the outside. I did not know that my wife was safe,” he said.
Mr Khalil said administration officials had made “absolutely absurd allegations” by saying he as involved in antisemitic activities and supporting Hamas.
“They are weaponising antisemitism, weaponising anti-terrorism in order to stifle speech,” he said. “What I was engaged in is simply opposing a genocide, opposing war crimes, opposing Columbia University’s complicity in the war on Gaza.”
A State Department spokesperson said its actions toward Mr Khalil were fully supported by the law.
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Asked about missing the birth of his son while he was in prison, Mr Khalil said: “I don’t think there’s any word that can describe the agony and the sadness that I went through, to be deprived from such a divine moment, from a moment that my wife and I had always dreamed about.”
Meanwhile, the deportation case against Mr Khalil is continuing to wind its way through the immigration court system.
Donald Trump has praised the Liberian president’s command of English – the West African country’s official language.
The US president reacted with visible surprise to Joseph Boakai’s English-speaking skills during a White House meeting with leaders from the region on Wednesday.
After the Liberian president finished his brief remarks, Mr Trump told him he speaks “such good English” and asked: “Where did you learn to speak so beautifully?”
Mr Trump seemed surprised when Mr Boakai laughed and responded he learned in Liberia.
The US president said: “It’s beautiful English.
“I have people at this table who can’t speak nearly as well.”
Mr Boakai did not tell Mr Trump that English is the official language of Liberia.
The country was founded in 1822 with the aim of relocating freed African slaves and freeborn black citizens from the US.
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Later asked by a reporter if he’ll visit the continent, Mr Trump said, “At some point, I would like to go to Africa.”
But he added that he’d “have to see what the schedule looks like”.
Trump’s predecessor, President Joe Biden, promised to go to Africa in 2023, but only fulfilled the commitment by visiting Angola in December 2024, just weeks before he left office.