The Feb. 18 slaying of 69-year-old Auxiliary Bishop David O’Connell of Los Angeles drew national headlines and stirred a good deal of prognosticating about the political leanings of a crusading social-justice warrior.

“Slain LA ‘Bishop Dave’ Remembered as a Humble Man of Action Who Wanted People to Encounter Christ’s Healing Love,” which I co-authored with Lauretta Brown, revealed the breadth of his “shepherd’s heart” and concluded that his remarkable legacy “defied characterization.”

Local Catholics, pastors and activists shared their memories of a beloved friend. They discussed his outreach to gang members and his impact in urban neighborhoods that struggled to rebuild in the wake of 1992 riots.

As we followed up on new leads, new details surfaced that gave a richer dimension to his life. We learned that he had struggled with occasional bouts of depression and that he underwent spiritual healing after a fellow priest gave him Neal Lozano’s book Unbound: A Practical Guide to Deliverance and then prayed over him.

The bishop later joined forces with Lozano to lead several retreats designed to help local priests.

His shepherd’s heart touched people in other unexpected ways, as well.

During a healing service for the Southern California Renewal Communities in Los Angeles, he offered a searing apology for the U.S. bishops’ past failure to promptly remove abusive priests.

He wept as he “begged Jesus to forgive him and his brother bishops for not being good shepherds,” said theologian Anthony Lilles during an interview for the story, who described it as “the first time I heard an adequate response from the heart to the horror of what was happening in the Church.”

Our story began with the tragedy of a bishop gunned down in his home. Then we cast off political labels and drilled into what it means to be a faithful shepherd on the gritty streets of South Central Los Angeles.