A Connecticut judge ordered the release of the 911 recordings from the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, but the tapes will not be immediately unsealed.
The state's Freedom of Information Commission ruled in September that the recordings should be provided to The Associated Press, but State's Attorney Stephen Sedensky III asked for a stay while he appeals that order.
New Britain Superior Court Judge Eliot Prescott denied his motion for a stay Tuesday, but the tapes remain sealed until Dec. 4 to give the prosecutor a chance to appeal.
The AP has sought the recordings in part to examine the police response to the Dec. 14 massacre, which left 20 first-graders and six educators dead.
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Sedensky urged the judge to consider the anguish releasing the tapes could cause for victims' families.
A spokesman for Sedensky said he is reviewing the decision and determining his next step.
The ruling came a day after the state's attorney released his investigative report on the shooting. It found no "conclusive motive" explaining why troubled 20-year-old Adam Lanza stormed the school.
Investigators say Lanza began his rampage by shooting his mother four times with a .22-caliber rifle while she lay in bed. He then drove her Honda Civic to nearby Sandy Hook Elementary School, parked in the fire lane and shot his way into the entrance. Once inside, he opened fire on the students and school workers with a .223-caliber Bushmaster rifle. As police approached, Lanza killed himself with a handgun.
The first 911 call from the school reached authorities at 9:35 a.m. Officers found the dead victims in two classrooms near the front door. In another classroom they came upon Adam Lanza's body, outfitted in a pale-green pocket vest, a black polo shirt, black cargo pants and black sneakers, the report said. He also wore yellow earplugs and black fingerless gloves on each hand.
The report released Monday said the first police officer arrived at the school at 9:39 a.m., less than four minutes after the first 911 call. Lanza's final shot, killing himself, rang out at 9:40 a.m.
Copyright AP - Associated Press
