Arrest made in killing of Catholic bishop in California
By Associated Press
Feb 20, 2023 12:29 PM CST
Arrest made in killing of Catholic bishop in California
Gabriela Gil pays her respects to Bishop David O'Connell at the corner of his home in Hacienda Heights, Calif., Sunday, Feb. 19, 2023. According to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, detectives are investigating the death of O’Connell, who was shot and killed Saturday just blocks from a church,...   (Associated Press)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A suspect has been arrested in the killing of a Catholic bishop who was fatally shot over the weekend in Southern California, authorities said Monday.

A person was arrested in the killing of Bishop David O’Connell, who was found in his home with a gunshot wound and declared dead at the scene, Los Angeles Sheriff’s Deputy Lizette Falcon said. Falcon said details would be provided at a news conference at noon Pacific time.

O’Connell, 69, was killed Saturday just blocks from the St. John Vianney Catholic Church, part of his archdiocese, in Hacienda Heights, an unincorporated community about 20 miles (30 kilometers) east of downtown Los Angeles.

Authorities have not said whether the bishop was targeted or if his religion might have been a factor.

O’Connell had been a priest for 45 years and was a native of Ireland, according to Angelus News, the news outlet of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, the nation’s largest. In 2015, Pope Francis named him one of several auxiliary bishops of the archdiocese.

See 15 more photos