Law enforcement sources said Monday that authorities investigating Saturday’s killing of a Los Angeles bishop have arrested the case.
Authorities said that Auxiliary Bishop David J.
A law enforcement source said O’Connell was found dead in his bed from a single gunshot wound. Multiple law enforcement sources said the investigation so far has not revealed any signs of forced entry into the Gianlu Street home and the crime is not believed to be random.
Few details of the arrest were immediately available. The suspect, a man arrested in Torrance, is linked to a woman with access to the Bishop’s home, according to a source familiar with the investigation.
The sources spoke on condition of anonymity in order to discuss the issue with the media. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, which is investigating the murder, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Deputies responded to a medical emergency call shortly before 1 p.m. Saturday, and found O’Connell. Paramedics later pronounced him dead at the scene. A couple who lived on a quiet tree-lined street said they had not heard gunshots or unusual noises before firefighters and ambulance crews arrived.
Los Angeles Archbishop Jose Gomez initially told parishioners Saturday that O’Connell “passed away unexpectedly.” It was not until Sunday morning that the Sheriff’s Department issued a statement saying that the death was “being treated as a homicide investigation.”
There was no mention of the suspects and no further details were released.
“We are deeply concerned and saddened by this news,” the archbishop said in an updated statement. “Let us continue to pray for Bishop Dave and his family. And let us pray for law enforcement officials as they continue their investigation into this horrible crime.”
O’Connell served as the founder and chair of the SoCal Interdivine Immigration Task Force, assisting dozens of children who entered the United States without adult companions. He was quoted in a 2019 article: “For me, it really is a labor of love.” “I think that’s what our schools and parishes are about. Not just for unaccompanied minors but for all of our children. There is an epidemic that is hurting children, even those who have a lot. They feel abandoned by us. Immigrant youth have become a metaphor for our entire society.”
In the 1990s, O’Connell gained notoriety for seeking to bridge relations between residents of riot-torn neighborhoods and local law enforcement after the police beating of Rodney King. Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna on Sunday called the bishop a “peacemaker” who “has a passion for serving those in need while improving our community.”
Luna wrote on social media: “My heart is saddened after learning of the killing.”
Parishioners of St. Francis Xavier Cabrini Church in South Los Angeles, where O’Connell served for more than a decade, remember a man with a sense of humor, a deep commitment to social justice, and a dedication to serving the Black and Latino communities. They are shocked and struggle to understand the violence that took the life of someone whose calling was rooted in peace and love.
This is an urgent story and will be updated.
