Pastor’s Wife Speaks on Daughter Killed During Texas Church Shooting

The mother of a 14-year-old girl killed in the Texas church shooting Sunday morning stood in front of reporters to thank her community and strangers for the love and support she and her family have received.

“Frank and I want to say thank you to all the outpouring of love for our family from family friends and complete strangers,” the wife of Pastor Frank Pomeroy said, going on to add that she and her husband don’t want their tragedy to “overshadow the other lives lost yesterday.”

Up Next: 8 Members of One Family Killed in Texas Church Shooting

Annabelle Renee Pomeroy, 14, was among the 26 victims killed in the shooting at First Baptist Church Sunday. Pastor Frank Pomeroy, who had been in Oklahoma at the time of the shooting, confirmed his daughter’s death shortly after hearing the news.

Pomeroy’s wife went on to say in her statement that, “We lost more than Belle yesterday, and one thing that gives me a sliver of encouragement is the fact that Belle was surrounded yesterday by her church family that she loved fiercely, and vice versa.”

More: Gunman’s Former In-laws Attended Texas Church Sometimes

Sutherland Springs, Texas is a community of just 400 people, and reports have claimed that the shooting took the lives of four percent of the population, and that everyone in the town has been affected.

“Our church was not comprised of members or parishioners – we were a very close family. We ate together. We laughed together. We cried together. And we worshipped together. Now most of our church family is gone,” Pomeroy continued. “Please don’t forget Sutherland Springs”