A suspect has arrested in the fatal shooting of Los Angeles Archdiocese Auxiliary Bishop David O’Connell. The 69-year-old bishop was discovered dead with a gunshot wound at his home in Hacienda Heights, Calif., on Saturday.
According to NPR member station LAist, a deacon who had gone to check on him found the body.
The alleged shooter has been identified as Carlos Medina, 65. He is the husband of O’Connell’s housekeeper. Medina was arrested on Monday morning, after barricading himself in his home for several hours.
There are allegations that the suspect made comments about O’Connell owing him money. Investigations are being conducted with the cooperation of the suspect’s wife.
Sheriff Robert Luna, during a news conference, stated that authorities recovered “firearms and other evidence possibly linking Medina to the crime.”
O’Connell was ordained in 1979 in Los Angeles and appointed as auxillary bishop by Pope Francis in 2015. The majority of O’Connell’s congregants came from marginalized and immigrant communities in the Los Angeles area. During his four decades as a priest and bishop, he worked to curb violence and care for immigrants.
Government and church officials shared condolences and memories for the slain bishop. Parishioners and priests gathered outside O’Connell’s home to pray and mourn his death.