Tributes have poured in for a popular Irish bishop who was shot in Los Angeles at the weekend.
There has been shock at the violent death of Cork native, Bishop David O’Connell, at a house in California on Saturday. The Irish-born Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles was discovered with a gunshot wound in a suburb of the city.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said detectives responded to a shooting death shortly before 1pm on February 18 in the Hacienda Heights neighbourhood. The 69-year-old was pronounced dead at the property and police said they are treating his death as suspicious.
Read more: Dublin-educated bishop killed in Los Angeles shooting
Known as Bishop Dave to the faithful in the Los Angeles Archdiocese, he suffered a single gunshot wound to the torso. And despite the best efforts of paramedics he died before he could be brought to hospital.
Bishop O’Connell had moved to the US from Ireland 45 years ago and was described as a man dedicated to prayer and a “peace maker”.
Los Angeles Archbishop Jose Gomez described the death as a shock, saying he had “no words to express my sadness”.
He added: “I am very sad to report that our beloved Auxiliary Bishop David O’Connell has passed away unexpectedly. It is a shock and I have no words to express my sadness.As a priest and later a bishop here in Los Angeles for 45 years, Bishop Dave was a man of deep prayer who had a great love for Our Blessed Mother.
“He was a peace maker 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 honoured and protected.
“He was also a good friend and I will miss him greatly. I know we all will. Please join me in praying for Bishop Dave and for his family in Ireland.”
Bishop O’Connell studied at All Hallows College in Dublin and was ordained to serve in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in 1979.
He was named Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles by Pope Francis in 2015.
Last night the LA County Sheriff’s Department confirmed the death was being treated as a homicide.
In a statement, it said: “This incident is being handled as a murder investigation. There is no additional information available at this time.”
Authorities have not said whether the bishop was targeted or if his religion was a factor in the killing. The shooter – or shooters – remain at large. Bishop O’Connell focused on gang intervention as part of his work.
He sought to broker peace between residents and law enforcement following the uprising after the 1992 Rodney King beating. Nearly two decades later, he brought the San Gabriel Valley community together to rebuild a mission there following an arson attack.
About a dozen people prayed the rosary next to police tape late on Saturday after news of his death.
Jonny Flores told the Los Angeles Times from outside the alleged crime scene: “He didn’t hold back his words. He was well spoken. He would take the time. He was very humble. He was never too busy.”
Yesterday prayers for Bishop O’Connell were offered at Masses throughout his Archdiocese with several prayer vigils also being held. Parishioner Glendy Peres told The Los Angeles Times everyone was heartbroken by the loss of “a soft spoken and truly lovely man”.
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