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Over the weekend, a Catholic bishop died in “suspicious” circumstances in his Los Angeles home. David O’Connell, 69, was killed in the Hacienda Heights neighborhood at around 1 pm on Saturday.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department received a call reporting that a person was not breathing at the residence.

When police arrived, they found him with a fatal gunshot wound to his upper torso. And he was pronounced dead at the scene. 

According to reports from the San Gabriel Valley Tribune reports officials are investigating the circumstances of the death. 

It is not known if a gun was found at the scene. And the death has not been ruled a homicide or suicide.

UPDATE: The death of Bishop O'Connell has been updated to a homicide. LA police are investigating it as a murder. 

Catholic Bishop well-known in the community

After his death was announced by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, mourners gathered outside the archbishop’s home late Saturday.

The mourners were seen crossing themselves and holding rosaries and candles as the LA Sheriff's Department continued its investigation inside the home.

They also recited the Lord’s Prayer and sang Ave Maria according to the Valley Tribune.

By all accounts, O'Connell was respected and loved by the community. On Sunday he was remembered for his thick Irish accent and kindness. 

He was a priest for 45 years. And was known affectionately as Bishop Dave. 

In 1953, Bishop Dave was born in Ireland.  And educated at All Hallows College in Dublin. 

He was ordained as a priest in 1979. And served as an associate pastor in several U.S. parishes. In 2015, Pope Francis named him an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.

O'Connell was currently serving as Chairman of the Interdiocesan Southern California Immigration Task Force. And in that role coordinated the Church's response to immigrant families from Central America. 

Community was shocked by the death

 Jose H Gomez, an archbishop with the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, released a statement describing O’Connell’s 45 years with the Catholic Church.

“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,” the statement said.