A Catholic bishop was shot dead at his Los Angeles home over the weekend in an incident police are calling “suspicious.”
Authorities said they responded around 1 p.m. Saturday afternoon at David O’Connell’s home in the Hacienda Heights neighborhood, where he was found with a gunshot wound to the upper body and was pronounced dead at the scene. He was 69.
Deputies had received a call reporting that a person at the address was not breathing, reports the San Gabriel Valley Tribune. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department is now investigating his death as “suspicious.”
It remains unclear if a firearm was found at the scene, and authorities have not yet ruled O’Connell’s death a homicide.
The death of the auxiliary bishop was first announced by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, which called O’Connell a “peacemaker” and a man of “deep prayer” who has cared for all during his 45 years in the Church.
Bishop David O’Connell, pictured in November 2020, was pronounced dead at his Los Angeles home on Saturday
O’Connell was born in Ireland and was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles by Pope Francis in 2015
O’Connell’s death was first announced by Jose H. Gomez, an Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, who described his colleague as “a man of deep prayer”.
“He was a peacemaker with a heart for the poor and immigrants, and he had a passion for building a community where the sanctity and dignity of every human life is honored and protected,” Gomez said in a statement.
“He was also a good friend and I will miss him dearly. I know we all will.
“Please pray with me for Bishop Dave and his family in Ireland. May Our Lady of Guadalupe wrap him in the mantle of her love and may the angels take him to paradise and may he rest in peace.’
Following the announcement, community members gathered outside O’Connell’s home, where some were seen crossing themselves as the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department continued their investigation.
Mourners clutched their rosaries and candles as they took turns singing the Hail Mary and reciting the Lord’s Prayer, according to the Valley Tribune.
Many were shocked by the news.
“I was devastated when I heard that,” said Donna Marie, a local resident. “Everyone’s kind of shocked right now because that’s not happening here.”
Jose Alvarez agreed, saying: “When I first heard the news I thought he was having a heart attack. I’m shocked it was through a gunshot.’
He said the auxiliary bishop was a man of the people. “The bishops are usually unavailable,” Alvarez explained. “Often they’re kind of hidden in an office, but he was just in the parish preaching a healing mass.”
Johnny Flores also told ABC 7: It broke me and I was afraid to tell my wife because my wife loved him so much.
Glendy Perez said he was “a humble soul”.
“He wasn’t the type who wouldn’t have a confrontation with anyone,” she said. “He was very loving and had a gift of healing.
“If you attended his ceremonies, it was like a gift of healing.”
Father Albert Avenido of the Sacred Heart Church also appeared at the scene to pray the Holy Rosary and comfort the mourners.
He is now working with other Catholic leaders to organize a special memorial service for O’Connell.
But in the meantime, Alvarez believes people will continue to show up outside the bishop’s home.
“He was a very powerful man,” Alvarez explained. “You could see it in his personality — not just because you see him kneeling in prayer — you know he’s a powerful man because you can see it in his life.”
Before becoming Archbishop, O’Connell served as an associate pastor in several Los Angeles congregations. He is pictured here in June 2016
The Auxiliary Bishop is remembered as a good-hearted man with a heavy Irish accent and a great sense of humour
Mourners who gathered outside the archbishop’s home on Saturday said he had a gift for healing. He is pictured here in 2016 giving a blessing to Cheryl Bertola
O’Connell was born in Ireland in 1953 and was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles by Pope Francis in 2015.
He studied at All Hallows College, Dublin and was ordained to the Archdiocese in 1979, first as an assistant pastor in several parishes before becoming archbishop.
O’Connell also served as chair of the Southern California interdiocesan immigration task force and helped coordinate the church’s response to immigrant families from Central America.
He was remembered on Sunday as a kindhearted man with a heavy Irish accent and a great sense of humor.
The auxiliary bishop recently volunteered to lead the Ash Wednesday service at Sacred Heart Catholic School next week.
“You can imagine how busy the bishops are on Ash Wednesday and he offered to celebrate Mass in our school,” Father Albert Avenido said.
“We were all so excited.”
Parishioners gathered outside O’Connell’s home on Saturday night to pay their respects
MPs were called to O’Connell’s home on Saturday afternoon after receiving a report that a man was not breathing
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department is now investigating his “suspicious” death