How did David O'Connell die? 'Peacemaker' bishop, 69, found dead due to gunshot wound in LA
LOS ANGELES, CALIFRONIA: Authorities have confirmed that a prominent auxiliary bishop with the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, was killed in Hacienda Heights on Saturday afternoon, February 18. David O'Connell, 69, who had been serving thr people of Los Angeles for 45 years, was discovered dead in a room with a gunshot wound to his upper torso, according to investigators.
The sheriff's department stated that detectives were looking into this as a suspicious death, but no further information was provided. LASD Homicide Bureau Detective Michael Modica said, "We got a lot more steps we have to take to make more determination to what's happening," per the New York Post.
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David O'Connell a 'peacemaker'
Archbishop José H. Gomez reportedly issued a statement about O'Connell's death. Stating that he "died unexpectedly," the statement read, "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 also added that he was his good friend, and he will miss him greatly. He further added, "I know we all will. 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," as reported by ABC7.
About David O'Connell
Pope Francis appointed O'Connell, who was born in Ireland in 1953, as an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in 2015. He was ordained in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in 1979 after studying for the priesthood at All Hallows College in Dublin, per Los Angeles Times. Soon after, he served as associate pastor in several parishes and as pastor in several parishes in Los Angeles. He chaired the Interdiocesan Southern California Immigration Task Force, which assisted in coordinating the church's response to Central American immigrant children and families, as per reports.