US

Catholic Bishop Shot In His Own Home

[Shutterstock Fer Gregory]

Melanie Wilcox Contributor
Font Size:

A Los Angeles bishop was found dead from a gunshot wound at his home on Saturday.

David O’Connell, a 69-year-old Auxiliary Bishop in the Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles, was shot to death in Hacienda Heights, according to multiple broadcast reports, SVGB Tribune reported.(RELATED: Pope Benedict Leaves Lasting Legacy As Millions Of Catholics Mourn His Loss)

Lieutenant Michael Modica, Los Angeles homicide detective, told reporters Saturday that a suspicious death investigation is underway, SVGB Tribune reported. The shooting occurred at about at 12:57 p.m., on the 1500 block of Janlu Avenue in Hacienda Heights, the Los Angles County Sheriff’s Department reported.

Deputies received a call reporting a person was not breathing and bleeding in a Janlu Avenue home, Modica said. Deputies found a dead body in a room with a gunshot wound to the torso. It was not clear if a gun was found at the scene of the crime, and SVGB reporters could not reach LASD officials for further comment.

The Archdiocese of Los Angeles first announced O’Connell’s death. They called him a “peacemaker” and a man of “deep prayer.” Authorities have not yet ruled his death a homicide.