Following the mass shooting in Sutherland Springs, Texas, that left more than 20 dead when Air Force serviceman opened fire during a Sunday service, the church where the tragic event took place will be demolished, Pastor Frank Pomeroy told CBS News.
Roger Oldham, a spokesperson for Pomeroy told CBS that the community is considering creating a memorial garden to replace the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs and that they would rebuild the church. Particularly as Pomeroy’s 14-year-old daughter was among the victims, Oldham said that the old building is still “too stark of a reminder” of the tragedy.
Oldham told USA Today that First Baptist had about 100 members before the attack that killed 26 and left 20 injured.
The pastor wants to demolish the church and turn the site into a memorial and build a new church on another property. https://t.co/cN5zylOKOC
— KSAT 12 (@ksatnews) November 9, 2017
A fellow church goer, Charlene Uhl, whose 16-year-old daughter was also a victim, also told CBS that she agrees with the pastor and said “there should still be church but not here.”
Demolishing past painful sites of mass shooting is not uncommon. Sandy Hook Elementary School, the school where over 20 children and six adults were killed in 2012 by a mass shooter, was also torn down in January of 2014, as MSNBC notes.
While the motive for the shooting is still unclear, CBS reports that gunman Devin Kelley is speculated to have chosen the church because he knew his wife’s family attended service there.
For those still looking to donate to the victims of the shooting, the church is reportedly still accepting financial donations through their website.