By Tracy Connor, Staff Writer, NBC News
The 911 recordings from the school massacre in Newtown, Conn., were released Wednesday, less than two weeks before the first anniversary of the tragedy, after state officials lost a fight to keep them under wraps.
The recordings were made public after the Connecticut Freedom of Information Commission approved a request from the Associated Press and the state's attorney decided not to appeal.
Prosecutors had argued that audio of seven calls placed from inside Sandy Hook Elementary School on Dec. 14, 2012, would cause anguish for the families of the 20 children and six staffers slain.
A court agreed they would be "a searing reminder of the horror and pain of that awful day" but said would also underscore the "bravery and professionalism" of the first responders.
"We don't feel that the 911 calls should have been released but that decision has been made now," said Nicole Hockley, whose 6-year-old son Dylan was murdered.
"It will affect our community certainly and it will affect our families," she told MSNBC. "And I think as parents it's just down to us to ensure our children and families are protected from hearing those for as long as possible."
While many family members opposed the release of the tapes, others were in favor of public airing.
"I think the more the public knows, there will be less confusion, there will be less people making stories about what happened," said Gilles Rousseau, whose daughter, substitute teacher Lauren Rousseau, was killed.
"I'm much better dealing with the facts than dealing with the unknown," he told TODAY.
The recordings were put out days after state law-enforcement officials released a long-awaited report on the shooting and gunman Adam Lanza, 20.
It found he was obsessed with school shootings and carefully planned the rampage but did not uncover a clear motive.
Related:
Jessica Hill / AP
A nation mourns after the second deadliest school shooting in U.S. history at Sandy Hook Elementary, which left 20 children and six staff members dead.
This story was originally published on Wed Dec 4, 2013 12:40 PM EST
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