Well-known Catholic bishop shot to death near Los Angeles

A high-ranking Catholic clergyman in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles who was known for having “a heart for the poor” was shot to death Saturday, according to law enforcement officials and the archdiocese.

Auxiliary Bishop David O’Connell, 69, was killed about 1 p.m. local time in a residential area of Hacienda Heights, Calif., about 15 miles east of downtown Los Angeles, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said.

Sheriff’s deputies said they responded to a medical emergency call and found Bishop O’Connell suffering from a gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Deputy Lizette Falcon declined to specify whether Bishop O’Connell was at a home when he was killed.

“We can only imagine how the community is suffering because of this senseless murder,” the Sheriff’s Department said in a statement. “Bishop O’Connell was a guiding light for so many, and his legacy will continue to live on through the community that he helped build.”

No one was in custody in the killing as of Sunday afternoon, and a motive was

unclear. Deputy Falcon said there was no danger to the public.

Archbishop of Los Angeles Jose H. Gomez said Sunday that his office was “deeply disturbed and saddened” by law enforcement’s determination that Bishop O’Connell’s death was a homicide.

Catholics gathered Saturday evening near the scene of the shooting, where they clutched candles and prayed the Hail Mary, according to video shared by a Los Angeles Daily News reporter. A flier posted next to caution tape contained the eternal rest prayer for the dead and a message of love for Bishop O

’Connell.

Bishop O’Connell served in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, the largest Catholic diocese in the United States, for 45 years and was known as “a man of deep prayer,” Archishop Gomez said Saturday while announcing that Bishop O’Connell had died unexpectedly.

Bishop O’Connell was one of five auxiliary bishops who assist Archbishop Gomez with pastoral and administrative tasks. A native of Ireland, Bishop O’Connell served at several parishes in South Los Angeles, according to Angelus News, the official news outlet of the archdiocese.

Damian Dovarganes/Associated Press Gabriela Gil and her children pay their respects to Bishop David O’Connell at the corner of his home Sunday in Hacienda Heights, Calif. He was shot and killed Saturday.