Texas church to be demolished after deadly shooting

The church where 26 people died and at least 20 were injured in a 2017 mass shooting was open for visits for the last time Tuesday evening. An email to the congregation announced the building is set to be demolished but did not specify a date, local media reported Monday. The church declined to forward the email to WORLD. The Nov. 5, 2017, massacre was the deadliest church shooting in American history and the deadliest shooting in modern Texas history, according to a special report by Voice of America.

Why is it being torn down? Members of First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, in 2021 voted to have the building torn down, local media reported. Some survivors filed a temporary restraining order to prevent the demolition, alleging the church strategically removed members from its roster to sway the vote.

What happened to the church after the shooting? The church was turned into a memorial for the victims. Holes in the walls of the building were filled, the carpet was removed, and the inside was painted white, according to court documents. Twenty-six chairs, each with a victim’s name, were placed in the sanctuary. The victims ranged in age from an unborn child to 77 years old, according to investigators. The church in 2019 opened a larger building able to seat over 250 people, the Houston Chronicle reported.

Dig deeper: From the WORLD archives, read Mickey McLean’s report on the day of the shooting.