A suspect has been arrested in connection with the Feb. 18 shooting homicide, the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department (LASD) said Monday.
A suspect has been arrested in connection with the Feb. 18 shooting homicide of Los Angeles Auxiliary Bishop David O’Connell, the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department (LASD) said Monday.
A press conference will be held at 3pm PST.
Prior to the arrest, there was a standoff between the subject and law enforcement in the city of Torrance, Sgt. Cueva, who declined to give his first name, told CNA Monday. Cueva is the watch commander at the LASD Carson Station.
Torrance is about a 45-minute drive southwest from Hacienda Heights, where Bishop O’Connell was found dead.
The LASD said in a statement Sunday that they responded to a medical emergency call around 12:57pm on Saturday at the 1500 block of Janlu Avenue, Hacienda Heights.
When authorities arrived, they discovered Bishop O’Connell with a gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
An anonymous law enforcement official told the Los Angeles Times that Bishop O’Connell, 69, was found deceased in his bed with one gunshot wound.
The LASD could not confirm to CNA on Monday whether Bishop O’Connell was killed in his own home, although several local media reports have reported that it was his home.
Citing “multiple law enforcement sources,” the Los Angeles Times reported that there were no signs of “forced entry” into the home where Bishop O’Connell was killed and added that “the crime was not believed to be random.”
A native of Ireland, Bishop O’Connell was named a bishop by Pope Francis in 2015. He ministered to immigrants, the poor and victims of gang violence for 45 years in the South Los Angeles area.