The Roman Catholic community in Los Angeles is mourning as a bishop was found dead with a gunshot wound on Saturday afternoon.

David O'Connell, the Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles who was killed in a home in the Hacienda Heights neighborhood, was 69 years old.  According to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office, they are now investigating the incident as a murder. They vowed to find those responsible for his death.

Los Angeles Archbishop Jose H. Gomez released a statement following O'Connel's death, stating, "We are deeply disturbed and saddened by this news.," adding that his passing was unexpected.

According to NBC News, paramedics pronounced the bishop dead on the scene. Known fondly as "Bishop Dave," O'Connell has served as the episcopal vicar for the archdiocese's San Gabriel Pastoral Region since 2015.

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Who Was Los Angeles Archdiocese Auxiliary Bishop David O'Connell?

David O'Connell was hailed as a "peacemaker" who helped soothe tensions between residents and law enforcement. The bishop, who was a priest for 45 years, was born in County Cork, Ireland.

He was ordained in the Los Angeles Archdiocese in 1979. Pope Francis named him one of several auxiliary bishops of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in 2015.

Gomez spoke highly of the late priest, saying, "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 were honored and protected."

As he served, O'Connell worked with minorities in the community and immigrants. According to NPR, the bishop worked on efforts to curb violence in the city.

According to the Catholic news agency Angelus News, he tried to ease tensions between locals and members of the Los Angeles Police Department and the L.A. Sheriff's Department. Those tensions eventually boiled over during the 1992 Los Angeles riots that followed the videotaped savage beating of African-American Rodney King by police officers.

O'Connell also served in communities afflicted by gang violence, poverty, and broken families. He was also the chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Subcommittee on the Catholic Campaign for Human Development.

Bishop David O'Connell Receives Tributes From Parishioners and Others in the Community

Following the news of his death, parishioners gathered on the site where he was killed and lit candles in his memory. Tributes also poured in online, with the executive director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley, Norma Seni Pimentel, writing that he was "truly a man of God."

Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna also praised the bishop, saying that the late priest "had a passion [for] serving those in need while improving our community." He added that David O'Connell was a guiding light for so many" and that the police were "working diligently to seek those responsible for his death."

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This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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