Demolition Crew Tears Down Texas Church Where Gunman Killed 26

The move to raze the church in Sutherland Springs, which had served as a memorial to the victims of the 2017 massacre, came over objections from some in the community.

Over the past seven years, Terrie Smith had often stopped to mourn at the small church in the town of Sutherland Springs, Texas, where a U.S. Air Force veteran gunned down 26 people, including her close friend and two of her friend’s children.

On Monday, when she saw an excavator at the site, her heart sank and her stomach tightened, she said. “They are going to demolish it,” she said.

Despite opposition from many in town, crews began tearing down First Baptist Church, a small sanctuary in the tiny hamlet 45 miles east of San Antonio that became the scene of one of the deadliest mass shootings in the nation’s history.

The fate of the building had remained uncertain as a battle over its future played out in the courts. Though a majority of church members had voted in 2021 to raze it, with church officials expressing concern for the 100-year-old building’s structure, others filed a lawsuit claiming that not all members had been allowed to cast votes and should be given the opportunity to have their say.

Early last month, a judge in Wilson County, which includes Sutherland Springs, granted a temporary restraining order halting the demolition. Only two weeks later, a different judge denied a request to extend that order, clearing the way to raze the church.

Lawyers representing the families who opposed the demolition did not respond to a request for comment.