Los Angeles police have made an arrest in the fatal shooting of Catholic auxiliary bishop David O’Connell, who was found dead in his home Saturday afternoon.
Sheriff of Los Angeles County Robert Luna announced in a Monday press conference that the suspect is 65-year-old Carlos Medina, the husband of a housekeeper who has previously worked for O’Connell.
Authorities received a tip that Medina was acting strange and irrational, and that he made comments about O’Connell owing him money, Luna explained.
O’Connell, 69, was found dead in his bed with at least one gunshot wound to the chest by sheriff’s deputies who were responding to an emergency call, a law-enforcement source told the Los Angeles Times.
“We are deeply disturbed and saddened by this news,” explained Archbishop José Gomez in a 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 terrible crime.”
Following O’Connell’s death on Saturday, a crowd of parishioners gathered outside his home in Hacienda Heights, Calif. and prayed the rosary.
I’m in Hacienda Heights where Bishop David O’Connell, the Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, was shot to death earlier today. Parishioners gather at the scene of the crime to mourn and pray for their beloved leader pic.twitter.com/455uda1ZqD
— Clara Harter (@_ClaraHarter) February 19, 2023
In an earlier statement, Gomez described the life and work of his longtime friend.
“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,” Gomez explained.
O’Connell was born in County Cork, Ireland in 1953. He studied for the priesthood in Dublin before being ordained in Los Angeles in 1979. O’Connell then spent 45 years ministering to residents of Los Angeles’ inner city and was ultimately appointed to his current post by Pope Francis in 2015.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) explained in a tweet that they too are grieving for the sudden loss of their colleague, describing O’Connell as a “champion for the poor and marginalized.” The USCCB noted O’Connell’s work as the former subcommittee chair of Poverty USA, an anti-poverty initiative by the Catholic Campaign for Human Development.
In 2020, O’Connell brought the community together after an arson attack destroyed much of the 251-year-old San Gabriel Mission. The attack came amid a backlash against California missions and other colonial monuments that are regarded by some as reminders of the nation’s racist history.
During the press conference, Luna reiterated previous statements of support to the archdiocese and the larger community, adding that the focus is now on prosecuting the suspect.