SANDY HOOK SHOOTING: 911 CALLS RELEASED

Police outside the school Dec. 2012 source: Wikipedia

Newtown, CT: After a long fought battle between media outlets and law enforcement, the 911 calls from the Sandy Hook school shooting have today been released. Despite the obvious terror of the callers, the recordings show how the town's dispatchers calmly and professionally handled the situation. Throughout the calls, even as shooting can be heard, they advised the callers on their movements, to “take cover”, and inquired after the well-being of the children.

The recordings, which are not for the faint-hearted are utterly gut wrenching, with one lady caller begging for assistance and intimating that she “caught a glimpse of somebody. They're running down the hallway. Oh, they're still runningand still shooting. Sandy Hook school, please.”

Adam Lanza

The shooting, which occurred on December 14^th 2012, rocked the small Connecticut town. Adam Lanza, 20, first murdered his mother, Nancy, before shooting his way into the elementary school and killing 20 children and six female adult staff. The gunman then turned the gun on himself as police began to arrive. 

As per the MailOnline:

“On Tuesday, Newtown School Superintendent John Reed emailed parents to alert them to the recordings' release and remind them the recordings could serve as an 'emotional trigger'.

The release came after the Associated Press and other news organizations requested 911 calls and police reports - as is routine - on the day of the shooting.
But these requests were effectively ignored for months until AP appealed to the state's Freedom of Information Commission, which said in September that the recordings should be released.”

John Reed

In arguing against the release of the tapes, the prosecutor in charge said that the release could be potentially harmful and distressing for both the victims' families and the survivors of the shooting. He was also worried that the release of the recordings might hurt the investigation, subject witnesses to harassment and violate the rights of survivors who deserve special protection as victims of child abuse.

Superior Court Judge Eliot Prescott

However, it was ordered last week by a state judge that the recordings be released by today unless any appeals were lodged.




"Release of the audio recordings will also allow the public to consider and weigh what improvements, if any, should be made to law enforcement's response to such incidents," New Britain Superior Court Judge Eliot Prescott said at the ruling.
'Delaying the release of the audio recordings, particularly where the legal justification to keep them confidential is lacking, only serves to fuel speculation about and undermine confidence in our law enforcement officials.'

A Playlist of  all of the calls is below. Beware, they are Graphic.  -E.R.

PLAYLIST OF SANDY HOOK 911 CALLS [GRAPHIC]