Catholic bishop shot dead near church in Los Angeles

The Los Angeles religious community mourns after a Catholic bishop hailed as a “peacemaker” was shot dead just blocks from a Southern California church.

Detectives are investigating the death of Bishop David O’Connell as a homicide, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

Authorities have not said if the bishop was the target of the shooting or if his religion played a role in the killing.

The sheriff’s department would not say exactly how or where his body was discovered Saturday.

The shooter – or shooters – remain at large.

Bishop O’Connell, 69, had been a priest for 45 years and was from Ireland, according to Angelus News, the archdiocese news agency.

In 2015, Pope Francis appointed him one of several auxiliary bishops of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles – the largest in the country.

Bishop worked in south Los Angeles for years, focusing on gang interventions, Angelus News reported.

He later tried to broker peace between residents and law enforcement after the violent 1992 riot after a jury acquitted four white LA police officers of caning Rodney King, a black man.

Nearly two decades later, Bishop O’Connell brought the San Gabriel Valley congregation together to rebuild a mission after an arson attack.

In recent years he has led Catholic efforts in the region to work with immigrant children and families from Central America.

Bishop O’Connell was found with a gunshot wound at Hacienda Heights around 1 p.m. Saturday.

Sheriff’s deputies were called to the area due to a medical emergency — just blocks from St. John Vianney Catholic Church, part of the bishop’s archdiocese.

Paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene, the sheriff’s department said.

The archdiocese said Bishop O’Connell lives in Hacienda Heights — an unincorporated community about 19 miles east of downtown Los Angeles — but it’s not immediately clear if he was found at his home or elsewhere.

Masses in churches across the region were dedicated to Bishop O’Connell on Sunday.

The Diocese of Cork and Ross in Ireland, where O’Connell was born, was shocked by the priest’s death.

Bishop Fintan Gavin said in a statement Bishop O’Connell has “always maintained his links with family and friends in Cork” through frequent visits to Ireland.

The LA County Sheriff offered the agency his condolences, saying detectives “are committed to arresting those responsible for this horrific crime.”

“He was a peacemaker and had a passion for serving those in need while improving our community,” Sheriff Robert Luna said on Twitter.

The violence was the latest to rock religious leaders in Los Angeles.

Two Jewish men were shot and wounded last week by a gunman who authorities said was targeting them for their beliefs.

Suspect Jaime Tran has been charged with federal hate crimes.