The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has arrested a suspect in the murder of Catholic Bishop David O’Connell.
O’Connell, 69, an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, was fatally shot at his home over the weekend.
Police have not yet released the identity of the suspect.
When police arrived at O’Connell’s Hacienda Heights home, they found him unresponsive with a bullet wound in his chest. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Bishop O’Connell was a guiding light for so many, and his legacy will continue to live on.You are not alone in your grief and that @lasdhq is here to support you. Our thoughts and prayers are with you, and we are working diligently to seek those responsible for his death. pic.twitter.com/cIBzvzx0km
— LA County Sheriffs (@LASDHQ) February 19, 2023
“It’s very early in the investigation,” sheriff’s department Homicide Bureau Detective Michael Modica said Sunday, according to a report from Fox News. “We got a lot more steps we have to take to make more determination to what’s happening.”
Archbishop José H. Gomez announced the Bishop’s death during Sunday mass.
“Our beloved Auxiliary Bishop David O’Conell has passed away unexpectedly,” Gomez said. “It’s a shock and I have no words to express my sadness. As a priest and later a bishop here in Los Angeles for forty-five years, Bishop Dave was a man of deep prayer who had a great love for Our Blessed Mother. 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.”
“He was also a good friend, and I will miss him greatly. I know we all will,” Gomez continued. “Please join me in praying for Bishop Dave and for his family in Ireland. May Our Lady of Guadalupe wrap him in the mantle of her love, and may the angels lead him into paradise, and may he rest in peace.”
The Gateway Pundit will provide more information once the suspect’s name and information is released.