Police say the shooting of a Los Angeles Catholic bishop is under investigation.
Bishop David O’Connell, 69, was killed Saturday afternoon in the Hacienda Heights neighborhood.
According to a statement, representatives from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department responded to the 1500 block of Janlu Avenue at approximately 12:57 p.m. after receiving a medical emergency call.
Police said O’Connell was found suffering from gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene.
The incident is being investigated as a murder.
Originally from Ireland, O’Connell was a pastor and later a bishop in Los Angeles for 45 years, Angelus News reports.
O’Connell, known as “Bishop Dave,” was “the episcopal vicar for the archdiocese’s San Gabriel pastoral area since 2015, when Pope Francis named him an auxiliary bishop,” according to the outlet. During his time in South Los Angeles, O’Connell opted to help defuse tensions between residents and law enforcement.
Archbishop Jose H. Gomez of Los Angeles said, “He was a peacemaker for the poor and immigrants, and he had a passion for building a community where the sanctity and dignity of every human life is respected and protected. ” statement issued on Saturday. “He was also a good friend, and I will miss him dearly.”
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said Bishop “had a passion [for] Serving those in need while improving our community.”
one in doThe Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department called O’Connell “a guiding light to so many people” and said the agency is “working diligently to seek those responsible for his death.”
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