Texas Church Questioned About Donations After Shooting
SUTHERLAND SPRINGS (CBSDFW.COM/AP) — Donors, survivors and victims' families are questioning how a South Texas church is spending millions of dollars of donations made since a gunman killed more than two dozen worshippers in November.
The church attacker, dressed in black tactical-style gear, was armed with an assault rifle when he opened fire inside First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, near San Antonio. The deadliest mass shooting in Texas history took the lives of 26 people and wounded more than a dozen more. The dead ranged in age from 17 months old to 77 years old.
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Demand for more information grew after the church announced plans for a new $3 million sanctuary last month.
Mike Ritch raised nearly $100,000 for victims, but has since cut ties with the church. He's asking for more transparency about where the money is going.
Church leaders say they're distributing the thousands of donations from around the world. They insist they aren't using victim's relief funds to pay for the new church.
The church declined to report fundraising totals and won't have to disclose details to the IRS.
(© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
