Court order stops demolition of church in Sutherland Springs that killed 26 people

The original sanctuary of the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs was scheduled to be demolished on Wednesday, but an injunction issued Tuesday prevented that from happening.

The church was the scene of a 2017 massacre in which 26 people, including an unborn child, were murdered when a gunman opened fire during services on Sunday, November 5. Twenty-two other people were injured. It was the deadliest mass shooting in Texas history.

In the months following the shooting, the church was converted into a memorial and a new and larger sanctuary was opened in 2019.

Two years after the new church was dedicated, its members voted to demolish the site of the massacre. Tuesday evening was the last day the memorial was open to the public.

The lawsuit was filed in May in part by Amber Holder, who said she, several survivors and the victims’ family were not given the opportunity to vote in the 2021 decision.

“I hope that only the survivors and the families of the victims can have their voice and express their opinion. It should not be the church’s decision,” she said.

Holder said she would not mind if the church was torn down, but she wanted to voice her opinion to people who did not have the opportunity to vote.

Charlene Uhl lost her 16-year-old daughter Haley Krueger in the shooting. Tuesday, the date the restraining order was issued, would have been Haley’s birthday.

“I’m not happy that they want to tear it down. My daughter took her last breath here and I want it to stay,” she said.

Julie Dalhberg, a representative of the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs, told TPR the church had no comment after the injunction was served Tuesday evening.

The church did not respond to TPR’s request to speak with Pastor Abner Neill.

The order, issued by 81st District Judge Jennifer Dillingham, halts demolition until at least July 15, when a preliminary hearing is scheduled for state district court in Floresville.