Shooting of Glanmire-born bishop David O'Connell in LA being treated as murder

Bishop David O'Connell. Picture: Sarah Reingewirtz/MediaNews/Pasadena Star-News/Getty

The shooting of Glanmire-born Bishop David O’Connell in Los Angeles has been upgraded to a murder this evening.

The death of the 69-year-old auxiliary bishop was initially being treated as suspicious.

However, a statement from the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department this evening said that the incident is “being handled as a murder investigation”.

The statement said homicide investigators are continuing to investigate the circumstances around the shooting.

Bishop O’Connell, originally from Brooklodge in Glanmire, was found shot in the torso in a house in Haciendo Heights in Los Angeles at around 1pm local time on yesterday (9pm GMT).

He was pronounced dead at the scene.

At the scene of the shooting, a small number of people gathered for a candlelit vigil on Saturday night. A poster bearing a photo of Bishop O’Connell bore the words: “In loving memory Bishop David G O’Connell” with “We love you” written underneath a prayer.

Prayers were said for him today in Glounthaune, where he went to school.

At a Mass in St John Vianney parish church, close to the murder scene, Fr Joe Choi said: ““We mourn the loss of an important, wonderful and beautiful figure of our faith.” He added: “We will miss hearing his jokes and hearing his Irish brogue and having his presence in our community.” A vigil will take place in the parish this week.

Police said this afternoon that his death remains “under investigation” and there is no suspect in the case according to a memo from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

The death is under investigation by the homicide department.

In a newspaper article with the LA Times in 2003, the then Fr O’Connell was quoted as telling the Los Angeles Police Department’s then new chief about two recent gun murders in his area.

Bishop O’Connell was originally from Brooklodge, Glanmire, and he was son of the late David and Joan O’Connell.

In a statement, Most Reverend José H. Gomez, Archbishop of Los Angeles, said Bishop O’Connell had passed away “unexpectedly”.

He said: “As a priest and later a bishop here in Los Angeles for forty-five years, Bishop Dave was a man of deep prayer who had a great love for Our Blessed Mother. 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 honoured and protected.” 

He added: “He was also a good friend, and I will miss him greatly. I know we all will. Please join me in praying for Bishop Dave and for his family in Ireland. May Our Lady of Guadalupe wrap him in the mantle of her love, and may the angels lead him into paradise, and may he rest in peace.” 

Bishop O’Connell was originally from Glanmire. He was ordained a deacon for the Los Angeles diocese by Ballingeary-born Cardinal Timothy Manning and his ordination to the priesthood was carried out by Inniscarra native, then Bishop of Hawaii, Bishop Joseph Scanlan.

Bishop Fintan Gavin of Cork and Ross Diocese said the shooting had “sent shockwaves” across his native diocese.

He offered sympathies on behalf of the people, priests and religious of the Diocese of Cork and Ross, and himself, to the O’Connell family in Cork, to Archbishop José H Gomes and the people, priests and religious of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.

Bishop Gavin said: “Since his ordination in 1979 Bishop David has served as a priest in Los Angeles but has always maintained his connection with family and friends here in Cork where has been a regular visitor. We pray that the Lord will console Bishop David’s many friends in Cork and throughout Ireland.” He said that prayers will be offered for Bishop David at Masses across the diocese in the days ahead.

He added: “Bishop David worked tirelessly for peace and harmony in communities; may he now rest in the peace of the Lord.”

Fr Tom Hayes of the Cork and Ross diocese said that Bishop O’Connell was a great supporter of the Cork and Ross missions to Peru and Ecuador.

Fr Hayes said: “He used to organise collections in the parishes that he was in to support the mission in South America and he was a very strong supporter of that mission. One of his core values was to attend to people on the edges.”

Bishop O'Connell was the Episcopal Vicar of the San Gabriel Pastoral Region, one of the five Pastoral Regions in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. He was appointed Titular Bishop of Cell Ausaille and Auxiliary Bishop in 2015.

According to the LA diocese, Bishop O’Connell received a BA in Philosophy and English Literature from University College Dublin in 1975, a Bachelor of Divinity from Maynooth College in 1977 and a Masters of Spirituality from Mount St. Mary’s College in 1987.

He served for 45 years in the US, where he was Associate Pastor at St. Raymond in Downey, St. Maria Goretti in Long Beach, and St. Hillary in Pico Rivera, and then as Pastor of St. Frances X. Cabrini, Ascension Catholic Church, St. Eugene and St. Michael Parishes.

Archbishop Gomez appointed him Episcopal Vicar for the San Gabriel Pastoral Region in 2015.

More to follow...