Detectives are treating Los Angeles-area bishop’s death as a homicide

Pope Francis named David O’Connell one of several auxiliary bishops of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles — the nation’s largest — in 2015. (AP Photos)

LOS ANGELES — A Catholic bishop in Southern California was shot and killed Saturday just blocks from a church, a slaying of a longtime priest hailed as a “peacemaker” that’s stunned the Los Angeles religious community, authorities said.

Detectives are investigating the death of Bishop David O’Connell as a homicide, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.