- A person was arrested in reference to the homicide of David O’Connell, 69
- The auxiliary bishop was discovered shot to demise inside his Los Angeles home over the weekend
- Authorities say the person was recognized early within the investigation and was arrested with out incident
A person has been arrested in reference to the homicide of a Catholic bishop who was discovered shot to demise inside his Los Angeles home over the weekend.
Sheriff’s deputies responded to Auxiliary Bishop David O’Connell’s Hacienda Heights home Saturday afternoon, the place they discovered the clergyman with a gunshot wound to his higher torso in his mattress. The 69-year-old was pronounced useless on the scene.
The following day, deputies formally stated they have been investigating O’Connell’s demise as a homicide earlier than saying on Monday that they’ve made an arrest.
Authorities advised NBC 4 Los Angeles the person was recognized early on within the investigation by an ‘unnamed technical means,’ and he was arrested with out incident — although a reporter on the scene stated the person had barricaded himself inside his home in a single day.
The suspect’s identify has not but been launched, however neighbors have recognized the suspect as Carlos Medina, whose spouse labored with the bishop.
A information convention on the arrest is predicted at 3pm native time.
Los Angeles Daily News reporter Clare Harter stated the suspect had barricaded himself in his home, with a neighbor reporting that sheriff’s deputies first arrived at midnight however the suspect didn’t emerge till 9am.
One neighbor Luis Lopez stated the suspect’s identify is Carlos Medina, and his spouse had labored for the Bishop O’Connell, and one other advised Harter that the suspect was an ‘odd man’ in his 50s who was up in any respect hours of the night time to dig in his yard.
‘I’m simply shocked and overwhelmed,’ Marty Hernandez advised the reporter. ‘You would not know that you’ve got any person that lives subsequent to your own home that might do such a factor.’
His spouse’s whereabouts are unknown.
Deputies had obtained a name reporting that an individual was not respiration on the handle, the San Gabriel Valley Tribune stories.
The Los Angeles Times reported that O’Connell was discovered useless in his mattress, with legislation enforcement sources saying that there have been no indicators of pressured entry at his Janlu Avenue home, which is owned by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.
It stays unclear whether or not a firearm was discovered on the scene.
The auxiliary bishop’s demise was first introduced by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, which referred to as O’Connell a ‘peacemaker’ and a person of ‘deep prayer’ who cared for everybody throughout his 45 years with the Church.
‘He was a peacemaker with a coronary heart for the poor and the immigrant, and he had a ardour for building a group the place the sanctity and dignity of each human life was honored and guarded,’ Gomez stated in an announcement.
‘He was additionally a very good buddy, and I’ll miss him vastly. I do know all of us will.
‘Please be part of me in praying for Bishop Dave and for his household in Ireland. May Our Lady of Guadalupe wrap him within the mantle of her love, and should the angels lead him into paradise, and should he relaxation in peace.’
Following the announcement, parishioners gathered outdoors O’Connell’s home, the place some have been seen crossing themselves because the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department continued its investigation.
The mourners clutched their rosaries and candles whereas alternating between singing Ave Maria and reciting the Lord’s Prayer, based on the Valley Tribune.
Many have been in shock of the information, with a number of residents of the LA suburb the place greater than 80 p.c of residents are both Hispanic of Asian questioning who would kill such a revered determine.
‘I used to be devastated to listen to this,’ stated Donna Marie, an area resident. ‘Everybody is sort of shocked proper now as a result of this type of factor would not occur round right here.’
Jose Alvarez agreed, saying: ‘When I first heard the information, I believed he had a coronary heart assault. I’m shocked it was by a gunshot.’
He stated the auxiliary bishop was a person of the individuals. ‘The bishops are normally inaccessible,’ Alvarez defined. ‘Loads of occasions, they’re sort of hidden in an workplace, however he was however in parish doing a therapeutic mass.’
Johnny Flores additionally advised ABC 7: It broke me and I used to be scared to inform my spouse, as a result of my spouse beloved him a lot.’
The bishop was remembered over the weekend as a kind-hearted man with a thick Irish accent and an important humorousness.
Glendy Perez stated he was ‘a humble soul.
‘He was not the kind that might have confrontations with no person,’ she stated. ‘He was very loving and he had like a present of therapeutic.
‘When you’d attend his ceremonies, it was like a present of therapeutic.’
Father Albert Avenido, of the Sacred Heart church, additionally arrived on the scene Saturday night time to recite the Holy Rosary and luxury mourners.
He is now working with different Catholic leaders to prepare a particular memorial mass for O’Connell.
But within the meantime, Alvarez says he thinks individuals will proceed to indicate up outdoors the bishop’s home.
‘He was a really highly effective man,’ Alvarez defined. ‘You might see it in his persona — it is not simply since you see him kneeling down praying — you recognize that he is a strong man as a result of you’ll be able to see it in his life.’
Meanwhile, Janice Hahn, the chair of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, tweeted: ‘I used to be very unhappy to study of the passing of Bishop O’Connell. He was a longtime buddy.
‘I used to be lucky to work with him throughout my time on town council, and once more as a supervisor,’ she continued. ‘I be part of with Archbishop Gomez and the individuals of Los Angeles in mourning his loss.’
And the US Conference of Catholic Bishops tweeted: ‘We be part of @ArchbishopGomez in grieving the sudden lack of one in all our bishops.
‘Bishop O’Connell was an lively member of our convention, and a champion of the poor and marginalized.’
O’Connell was born in Ireland in 1953 and was named an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles by Pope Francis in 2015.
He studied at All Hallows College in Dublin and was ordained to serve within the Archdiocese in 1979, first as an affiliate pastor in a number of parishes earlier than changing into an archbishop.
O’Connell additionally served because the chairman of the Interdiocesan Southern California Immigration Task Force, serving to to coordinate the Church’s response to immigrant households from Central America.
Last September, O’Connell was honored with the Evangelii Gaudium Award from St. John’s Seminary in Camarillo for his years of service to the group and the Church within the Los Angeles space.
And at a nationwide stage, O’Connell was the chairman of the Subcommittee on the Catholic Campaign for Human Development of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops.
He had lately volunteered to steer subsequent week’s Ash Wednesday Mass on the Sacred Heart Catholic School.
‘You can think about how busy the bishops are on Ash Wednesday, and he provided to have fun the Mass in our college,’ stated Father Avenido.
‘We have been all so excited.’
