POLICE investigating the murder of an Irish Bishop in California were continuing to examine evidence on Wednesday including two firearms seized from the suspect’s home.
Tests being carried out on the weapons will determine if they were used in the fatal shooting of Cork-born Bishop David O’Connell in Los Angeles.
The 69-year-old, who was the auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, was discovered with at least one gunshot wound to the upper body in the bedroom of his home at Hacienda Heights on Saturday.
Bishop O’Connell, who moved to the US from Ireland 45 years ago, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Carlos Medina (65), who has been arrested in connection with the murder, is married to Bishop O’Connell’s housekeeper.
Sheriff of Los Angeles county Robert Luna said the man had also carried out some work previously at the bishop’s house.
The suspect drove a dark compact SUV which was similar to a vehicle seen in surveillance footage parking in the driveway of the bishop’s residence and staying for a short period.
He said a witness had contacted detectives on Sunday evening to say the suspect was acting strangely and had made comments about the bishop owing him money.
Sheriff Luna said the suspect had been arrested at 8.15am on Monday, adding that weapons were found at the suspect’s home and that ballistic tests were pending.
The sheriff said: “The suspect had been at the bishop’s house before, doing work.
“So there was some kind of a maybe working relationship, but we’re still trying to figure out what that relationship was.”
He added that there was no signs of forced entry, and no weapon was found at the home.
Bishop O’Connell’s killing comes five years after he found himself at the centre of a controversy in Ireland.
Comments made by the Cork cleric in 2018, expressing conciliatory views on same-sex couples raising children, were edited out of a video promoted by the World Meeting of Families.
The video was one of a number of clips produced for the World Meeting of Families 2018, which took place in Dublin and which included a visit by Pope Francis.
In the section of the Amoris: Let’s talk Family! Let’s be Family! video which deals with the reality of family life, Dr O’Connell recognised different types of families, including single parents or a gay couple raising children.
However, the comments were edited out.
Former Irish president Mary McAleese warned that the editing out of Bishop O’Connell’s “words of welcome and reassurance to LGBTI Catholics and their families” sent “a strong message that they will not be welcome to attend the Dublin World Meeting of Families”.
At the time, a spokeswoman for the World Meeting of Families said Bishop O’Connell’s words were no longer available because “the wrong version of the video … was inadvertently uploaded for a short time”.
She added: “The correct version is now in place”.
