Casey Mendoza
Remembering The Victims Of The Sutherland Springs Church Shooting
The mass shooting at a Texas church Sunday killed 26 people and injured 20 more.
LEARN MORENovember 9, 2017
Less than a week after a gunman opened fire at a Baptist church in Texas, officials decided to demolish the building.
The impact of hundreds of bullets reportedly may have weakened the structure, and law enforcement say inside there was "blood everywhere."
Beyond that, the church is a reminder of the tragedy — something many residents likely won't want to live with.
A Sutherland Springs resident told the Religion News Service: "You wouldn't think they'd want to relive that. ... They deserve something bigger and better. You want to start fresh, anew."
The First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs is just one place that's had to confront the tough question about what to do after a mass killing.
After the Las Vegas shooting, MGM Resorts said it had no plans to rent out the gunman's room. Sandy Hook Elementary School was demolished and rebuilt. And buildings at both Virginia Tech University and Columbine High School underwent major renovations to erase any trace of the killings.
Other tragedy sites became memorials. Almost a year after the Pulse nightclub shooting, the owner of the club announced plans to build a permanent memorial and museum on the grounds.
She told CNN: "We will not let hate win. ... We will ensure that no one of this generation and the generations to come will ever forget what happened here."
