A beloved Catholic bishop hailed as a “peacemaker” was fatally shot on Saturday and a suspect has been arrested in connection with his death, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department announced Monday, multiple outlets report.Auxiliary Bishop David O’Connell, 69, was found shot to death in his home in Hacienda Heights on Saturday afternoon, and the sheriff’s department said his death is being investigated as a murder,CNN reports.According toThe New York Times, the sheriff’s department said more information would be provided on the suspect at 3 p.m. local time Monday.The diocesan news siteAngelus Newsreports that O’Connell was born in County Cork, Ireland, and ordained in the Los Angeles Archdiocese in 1979.Bishop David O’Connell.Julio Cortez/AP/ShutterstockWant to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up forPEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletterfor breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.“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,” Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angelessaid in a statement.Bishop David O’Connell.Sarah Reingewirtz/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty"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," Gomez’s statement added.O’Connell’s death was mourned Sunday evening in a vigil in Hacienda Heights,KTLA reports.

A beloved Catholic bishop hailed as a “peacemaker” was fatally shot on Saturday and a suspect has been arrested in connection with his death, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department announced Monday, multiple outlets report.

Auxiliary Bishop David O’Connell, 69, was found shot to death in his home in Hacienda Heights on Saturday afternoon, and the sheriff’s department said his death is being investigated as a murder,CNN reports.

According toThe New York Times, the sheriff’s department said more information would be provided on the suspect at 3 p.m. local time Monday.

The diocesan news siteAngelus Newsreports that O’Connell was born in County Cork, Ireland, and ordained in the Los Angeles Archdiocese in 1979.

Bishop David O’Connell.Julio Cortez/AP/Shutterstock

Bishop David O’Connell, of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, attends a news conference at the Fall General Assembly meeting of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, on Nov. 17, 2021, in Baltimore. O’Connell was found dead in Hacienda Heights, Calif.,, of a gunshot wound, according to the Los Angeles Times Bishop Shot, Baltimore, United States - 17 Nov 2021

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“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,” Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angelessaid in a statement.

Bishop David O’Connell.Sarah Reingewirtz/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty

Bishop David O’Connell, of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles' San Gabriel Pastoral Region, chairs the immigration task force for the Archdioceses of Los Angeles, Orange County and San Bernardino. O’Connell stands before a painting of the Virgin of Guadalupe who he reveres on Wed., March 8, 2017. “Keep listening to the people who are suffering,” he said to the task force.

“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,” Gomez’s statement added.

O’Connell’s death was mourned Sunday evening in a vigil in Hacienda Heights,KTLA reports.

source: people.com