DA to Announce Charges Against Man Accused of Killing LA Bishop

Los Angeles’ district attorney is scheduled to announce charges Wednesday against a man accused of shooting to death a beloved Catholic bishop.

Carlos Medina, 65, was arrested Monday on suspicion of killing Auxiliary Bishop David O’Connell at his Hacienda Heights home. A tipster told police that Medina had been acting “strange” and made comments about O’Connell owing him money following his death Saturday, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said.

District Attorney George Gascón is expected to announce the charges against Medina during a news conferenced scheduled for noon.

After an hourslong standoff at Medina’s Torrance home, he surrendered to police. A search warrant yielded two guns and other evidence possibly linking him to O’Connell’s slaying, Luna said.

O’Connell was born in County Cork, Ireland in 1953 and was named an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles by Pope Francis in 2015, according to the Los Angeles Archdiocese. He served as a priest and bishop in LA County for more than 45 years.

Since his death, community members and public officials have paid tribute to O’Connell, whom they recalled as compassionate, especially to immigrants and other marginalized people.

“Every day he worked to show compassion to the poor, to the homeless, to the immigrant and to all those living on society’s margins. He was a good priest, a good bishop and a man of peace, and we are very sad to lose him,” Los Angeles Archbishop José Gomez said.

Neighbors who spoke to NBC4 said Medina, who is the husband of O’Connell’s housekeeper, was “friendly” and “nice,” and they expressed surprise at him being the accused killer.

 Investigators have not yet established a possible motive.