Newtown braces for release of 911 recordings from school massacre

[December 04, 2013]  NEW YORK (Reuters) — Local officials in Newtown, Connecticut were cautioning residents to prepare themselves emotionally for Wednesday's release of nearly half an hour of 911 recordings from the shooting that killed 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School last December 14.

Town officials initially tried to prevent release of the recordings of emergency phone calls made after Newtown resident Adam Lanza, 20, shot his way into the school. Lanza then unleashed one of the worst mass shootings in U.S. history before turning a gun on himself.

The state Freedom of Information Commission ordered the release of seven calls placed from inside the elementary school. Gunfire is audible in the background of the audio-enhanced recordings, according to a lawyer for Newtown.

Late last month, a judge ruled the town must comply with the commission's order, and Newtown officials have since dropped their appeal. First Selectman Pat Llodra recently reversed her long-standing position, saying the tapes should be released in full in order to prevent partial leaks of the recordings.

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."

Last week, Sedensky released a report on the Newtown massacre that concluded Lanza had acted alone, but that his motivation for the attack "may never be answered."

(Reporting by Edith Honan; editing by Scott Malone and David Gregorio)