Share Tweet By Tr Goins-Phillips Editor
February 20, 2023
A suspect has been arrested following the slaying of a Los Angeles priest.
Auxiliary Bishop David O’Connell, 69, was fatally shot in the torso around 1 p.m. Saturday in his home in Hacienda Heights, near his church. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The suspected assailant’s arrest reportedly came after an hours-long barricade in Torrance, California.
Listen to the latest episode of CBNs Quick Start podcast ?
O’Connell, a native of County Cork, Ireland, served at the Los Angeles Archdiocese since 1979 and was described by parishioners and locals as a “peacemaker.”
Jos H. Gomez, the archbishop of Los Angeles, stated Saturday he was “very sad … to report that our beloved Auxiliary Bishop David OConnell has passed away unexpectedly.”
“It is a shock and I have no words to express my sadness,” said Gomez. “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 continued, “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.”
The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Office described O’Connell as “a guiding light for so many.”
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
Please continue to pray for the bishop’s friends, loved ones, and parishioners as they process this tragedy.
***As the number of voices facing big-tech censorship continues to grow, please sign up for Faithwires daily newsletter and download the CBN News app, developed by our parent company, to stay up-to-date with the latest news from a distinctly Christian perspective.***