A judge ruled on Monday (July 15) that the old First Baptist Church Sutherland Springs building in Texas — where 26 people were shot and killed in 2017 by a gunman — can be torn down. The building was scheduled to be razed earlier this month, but a temporary restraining order delayed those plans.
Following what has been described as the deadliest church shooting in U.S. history, FBC Sutherland Springs turned the building into a memorial to honor the victims. On Nov. 5, 2017, Devin Kelley killed 25 people and injured 20 others before killing himself.
In 2021, the church voted 69–35 to tear the 100-year-old building down, in favor of constructing another facility honoring the victims. But at the time, details of when that would happen remained undetermined.
“We as a church have voted to remove the old enclosed memorial facility and replace it with an open air facility that will have 24/7 access. Whereas an appointment was needed previously to go in, now it will be fully open,” pastor Frank Pomeroy, who retired from the church in 2022, said following the 2021 vote to tear down the memorial. Pomeroy’s 14-year-old daughter Annabelle was among those killed in the shooting.
“We as a body decided this was the best way to honor the lives that were lost that fateful day and also the survivors that still have to go by the old facility and be reminded of the tragedy,” he said at the time. “This will give opportunities of worship and prayer at all times to everyone who desires to pay their respects and honor the martyrs of that fateful day.”
Meanwhile, a new church building was completed and dedicated in 2019. The new facility was funded by the North American Mission Board with gifts made through the Southern Baptist Convention’s Cooperative Program and other donations.
Legal action
But the details regarding the destruction of the current memorial and future plans for a new memorial reportedly have continued to be the source of ongoing disagreement and legal action.
Earlier this month, State District Judge Jennifer Dillingham reportedly granted a temporary restraining order prompted by some families who did not want the building to be destroyed. But state District Judge Russell Wilson denied a request on Monday to extend that order.
This decision has now appeared to clear the way for the building to soon be torn down.
