Arrest made in slaying of Los Angeles Bishop David O’Connell

A suspect was arrested Monday in connection with the murder of a Los Angeles bishop.

Auxiliary Bishop David O’Connell, 69, was found fatally shot at his home in in Hacienda Heights, an L.A. suburb, on Saturday afternoon.

Suspect Carlos Medina was identified by law enforcement early in the investigation and arrested Monday at his home in Torrance without incident after a brief standoff, according to Los Angeles Sheriff’s Deputy Lizette Falcon.

The Sheriff’s Department said it was investigating the death as a homicide.

Medina was the husband of O’Connell’s housekeeper and had also worked at the house, L.A. Sheriff Robert Luna said at a Monday news conference. He added that Luna drives a SUV similar to the one seen pulling into O’Connell’s driveway in security video.

Two firearms were recovered at Medina’s home. Results of ballistics test results were pending, Luna said.

A couple who lives in the neighborhood told the Los Angeles Times they did not hear gunshots and only became aware of the situation after ambulances arrived at O’Connell’s home.

Investigators received a tip on Sunday morning that Medina had been acting “strange, irrational and making comments about the bishop owing him money,” the sheriff said.

It remains unclear why O’Connell was targeted, but “the crime was not believed to be random,” according to the Times.

The sheriff said there were no signs of forced entry at O’Connell’s home.

O’Connell, an Irish immigrant, had been a priest for 45 years, according to the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. He was named an auxiliary bishop by Pope Francis in 2015.

“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,” Los Angeles Archbishop José Gomez said in a statement.

With News Wire Services