A well-known Irish-born bishop has been shot dead in America.
Tributes are being paid to Bishop David O'Connell, aged 69, following his shock death in Los Angeles on Saturday.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said detectives responded to a shooting death shortly before 1pm on February 18 in the Hacienda Heights neighbourhood.
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A spokesperson said: “The victim was pronounced dead at the scene. There is no additional information available at this time.
“Anyone with information about this incident is encouraged to contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's Homicide Bureau at (323) 890-5500.”
Fr O'Connell served as a priest and bishop in L.A. County for nearly half a century.
Archbishop of Los Angeles José H Gomez confirmed the sad news as he remembered his “good friend Bishop Dave”.
He said: “I am very sad this afternoon to report that our beloved Auxiliary Bishop David O’Connell has passed away unexpectedly. It is a shock and I have no words to express my sadness.
“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 honored and protected.
“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.”
A Cork native, Bishop O'Connell studied for the priesthood at All Hallows College in Dublin and was ordained to serve in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in 1979.
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