A Los Angeles County bishop known as a “peacemaker” was found dead of a gunshot wound in Hacienda Heights on Saturday, a law enforcement source said.
The body of David O’Connell, 69, who served as a priest and bishop in L.A. County for nearly half a century, was discovered in the 1500 block of Janlu Avenue in Hacienda Heights around 1 p.m., according to the source, Sheriff’s Department officials and a statement from the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.
“It is a shock, and I have no words to express my sadness. As a priest and later a bishop here in Los Angeles for 45 years, Bishop Dave was a man of deep prayer who had a great love for our blessed mother,” Archbishop José H. Gómez said in a statement.
“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,” Gómez continued. “He was also a good friend, and I will miss him greatly. I know we all will.”
On the circumstances of O’Connell’s death, Gómez said only that he had “passed away unexpectedly.”
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