(CNN) A man has been arrested in connection with the shooting death of a Catholic bishop known for his work as a community peacemaker, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department announced Monday.
Auxiliary Bishop David O’Connell was found dead Saturday at his home in the Hacienda Heights community, about 20 miles east of downtown Los Angeles, in what is being investigated as a homicide, the sheriff’s department said.
Deputies found O’Connell after responding to an emergency call just before 1 p.m. Saturday, Deputy Lizette Falcon told CNN.
Carlos Medina, 65, was arrested Monday morning at his home in Torrance, California, after an hour-long standoff with deputies, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said at a press conference. Medina was the husband of the bishop’s assistant, and was doing something around the bishop’s house, Luna said.
Detectives began looking into Medina after a tipster alleged he was acting strangely and making comments about the bishop owing him money, Luna said. Detectives also learned that surveillance video showed an SUV similar to the one Medina was known to be driving recently pulled into the bishop’s driveway and left after a short time, Luna said.
Luna emphasized that detectives do not yet know a motive for O’Connell’s murder, and that Luna is not yet certain of any dispute.
Asked about the charges Medina faces, Luna replied: “We’re still putting that together.”
CNN is working to identify an attorney for Medina.
Investigators have spoken with Medina’s wife, and she has been fully cooperative, Luna said.
At Medina’s home in Torrance — about a 35-mile drive southwest of Hacienda Heights — investigators found two firearms and “other evidence that may have implicated Medina in the crime,” the sheriff said. said. The guns still need to be examined to determine if they are related to the bishop’s murder, he said.
A deacon went to O’Connell’s home to check on him Saturday because the bishop was late for a meeting, Luna said. The deacon called 911 and reported that O’Connell was not breathing, Luna said.
Investigators found no evidence of forced entry into the bishop’s home, Luna said.
Community and political leaders mourned O’Connell
Members of the Los Angeles Catholic community and political leaders praised O’Connell and expressed their shock at his murder.
“This is a shock and I have no words to express my sorrow,” Los Angeles Archbishop José H. Gomez said in a statement Saturday announcing O’Connell’s death.
“As a priest and then a bishop here in Los Angeles for forty-five years, Bishop Dave was a man of deep prayer with a great love for Our Blessed Mother,” Gomez said. “He is a peacemaker with a heart for the poor and immigrants, and he has a passion for building a community where the sanctity and dignity of every human life is honored and protected.
“He was also a good friend, and I miss him terribly. I know we all do.
Gomez on Sunday released another statement saying he was “disturbed and saddened” to learn his death was being investigated as a homicide.
O’Connell, 69, is a native of County Cork, Ireland, and was ordained to serve in the Los Angeles Archdiocese in 1979, according to Angelus, an archdiocese news platform.
While working as an associate pastor, O’Connell ministered to communities facing gang violence and poverty in south Los Angeles. He worked to restore trust between residents and law enforcement after the 1992 riots in Los Angeles, Angelus said.
Working with immigrants is also a top priority for O’Connell and he served as chairman of the interdiocesan Southern California immigration Task Force, which helped coordinate the local church’s response to the recent influx of immigrants. migrants from Central America, said Angelus.
“For me, it’s really a labor of love,” he said of the 2019 task force, “because this is, I think, what our schools and parishes are all about. There is an epidemic of hurting children, even those who have too much. They feel we have abandoned them. And migrant youth have become a metaphor for our entire society.
Janice Hahn, the chairwoman of the Los Angeles County board of supervisors, said Monday that the bishop has been her friend for a long time.
“He was known to walk among the crowd,” Hahn said. “He helped gang members; he helped the homeless; he helped passers-by. He was the help of the helpless and the hope of the hopeless, and he knew that serving God meant to serve people, especially the weakest in our society.”
As police investigate the fatal shooting, the Catholic community in Los Angeles is reflecting on its impact.
“I’m sad. I’ve been crying the last few days knowing that he’s not here to share all his inspiration and his prayers and everything with us,” said parishioner Ramona Torres.
“I was very hurt — very hurt by his passing because he was one of the most lovable people I have ever met,” said another parishioner, Gabriela Gil.
“Bishop O’Connell was a guiding light for many, and his legacy will live on,” the sheriff’s department said in a statement. Twitter. “We are working diligently to find those responsible for his death.”
CNN’s Theresa Waldrop, Taylor Romine, Jennifer Henderson and Amy Simonson contributed to this report.
