Los Angeles bishop’s shooting death believed a homicide

• Bishop David O’Connell was found shot to death in Los Angeles.
• Police are treating it as a homicide.
• So far there is no information on a possible suspect.

Bishop David O’Connell is found shot to death in Los Angeles, California. According to the most recent reports, a Catholic bishop from southern California was found dead on Saturday, February 18. It seems the religious man was shot to death.

According to The Associated Press, the bishop was identified as 69-year-old David O’Connell. His body was found in Hacienda Heights around 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, February 18, according to the outlet.

An archbishop confirmed the tragic death of 69-year-old bishop David O’Connell

Homicide detectives responded to a report of a «shooting death,» according to the Los Angeles County police. Authorities located an adult male victim and pronounced him dead at the scene, according to the AP.

He was found in a one-story ranch-style house on a residential street. Los Angeles Archbishop José H. Gómez confirmed the death, saying O’Connell, who served the city for 45 years as a priest and later as a bishop, «passed away unexpectedly».

«He was a peacemaker with a heart for the poor and the immigrant»

«It is a shock and I have no words to express my sadness,» Archbishop José H. Gómez said in a statement, describing him as a good friend. “Bishop Dave was a man of deep prayer who had a great love for Our Blessed Mother,” he said, according to the AP.

“He was a peacemaker with a heart for the poor and the immigrant, and he had a passion for building a community where the sanctity and dignity of every human life was honored and protected,” concluded the archbishop. Hacienda Heights is a town about 20 miles east of downtown Los Angeles.

There is no information on a possible suspect or motive

The Los Angeles Times noted that the LA County Sheriff’s Department reported that it was investigating the shooting death of an adult male at around 12:57 pm on Saturday, February 18. The 69-year-old bishop was pronounced dead at the scene.

So far the Sheriff’s Department has not provided details on a possible suspect or motive for the violent act. A spokeswoman declined to answer additional questions on Saturday night. David O’Connell was appointed auxiliary bishop of the archdiocese by Pope Francis in 2015. RIP