ORLANDO, Fla. _ Lawyers for media companies and the city of Orlando have argued for months about what to do with 911 recordings that captured the sounds of 49 nightclub goers dying inside Pulse, an Orlando nightclub, at the hands of a gunman.
On Monday, family members of those who died will tell an Orlando judge what they want. Circuit Judge Margaret Schreiber has set aside eight hours to listen.
Some are expected to tell her to keep the recordings a secret, a position the city of Orlando has advocated.
Others are expected to urge her to release them so they can learn more details about what happened June 12, when gunman Omar Mateen opened fire at the gay nightclub south of downtown Orlando, killing 49 and wounding more than 50 others.
Attorneys for two dozen media companies, including the Orlando Sentinel, have pushed for their release, saying they will allow the public to evaluate whether the Orlando Police Department responded appropriately.
Mateen started shooting about 2 a.m., holed up in the club for three hours and was killed after 5 a.m. after the Orlando police SWAT team punched holes in the back wall with an armored vehicle.
Media companies have been fighting for the release of the 603 recordings since a few days after the massacre. The city originally refused, saying they were part of an FBI investigation, but a police captain testified several weeks ago that the FBI only had use for just 70 of them and that as of Sept. 2, they were no longer needed part of that investigation.
The city then modified its position. It released about 200 of them but said it could not release the others, arguing it was prohibited by law because they captured the sounds of people dying.
City Attorney Darryl Bloodsworth described some as "graphic and disturbing."
A lawyer for the parents of the youngest victim, 18-year-old Akyra Murray, wrote the judge a letter, urging her to release the records.
The parents, Natalie and Albert Murray, "were present at the scene while the events unfolded and to this day, they are still in the dark when it comes to this tragedy," wrote attorney Richard Klineberger III.
It's not clear how much weight the judge will give to the wishes of family members.
