Archbishop David O’Connell, 69, had a bullet in his chest when he was found by police at a home in Hacienda Heights. The circumstances of the death are investigated. Archbishop Gomez: “He was a man of peace with a heart for the poor and immigrants, he wanted every life to be protected”
Salvatore Cernuzio – Vatican City
He has been known in the Church in the United States for years for his strong commitment to immigrants, the poor, and victims of gun violence. Los Angeles Auxiliary Bishop David O’Connell, 69, was found dead with gunshot wounds. This was announced by US newspapers and explained that no details of the story are currently known.
investigations are ongoing
The bishop was found dead around 1 p.m. (local time) in a home in the suburb of Hacienda Heights, 30 kilometers east of downtown Los Angeles. He was hit in the chest by a bullet. The district police are investigating the dynamics of the affair. In a statement, the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Office said it has opened an investigation into the “gunshot death” of an adult male, whose death was certified at the scene, which is the home, which is located on a residential street of one-story cottage-style homes. Some US media say O’Connell may have ended up in the middle of a shooting. There is currently no confirmation in this regard, and no details have been provided by the authorities on a possible suspect or the motive for an alleged murder.
The condolences of the Archbishop of Los Angeles
News of the Auxiliary Bishop’s death was confirmed by Pope Francis by Monsignor José Horacio Gomez, Archbishop of Los Angeles, an archdiocese where O’Connell, an Irishman from Cork, has served in that capacity as priest and Auxiliary Bishop for the past 45 years in 2015. “I am very saddened to announce this afternoon that our beloved Auxiliary Bishop David O’Connell has passed away unexpectedly,” read a statement published on the Archdiocese’s official website, Angelus News. “It is a shock and I have no words to express my sadness,” added the prelate, who describes “Bishop Dave” as “a good friend” and “a man of deep prayer who had great love for our mother.” . O’Connell “was a man of peace with a heart for the poor and immigrants, and he was passionate about building a community where the sanctity and dignity of every human life is honored and protected,” Gomez added. He then asked for prayers for the bishop’s soul, which he entrusted to the Virgin of Guadalupe, and for his family in Ireland. Meanwhile, several gathered at the site of death to light candles and pray the rosary.