ORLANDO, Fla. _ A judge on Friday ordered the City of Orlando to be more specific about why it won't release all 911 calls made during the Pulse nightclub shooting, requesting an itemized list of the recordings ahead of a major hearing in the public records lawsuit later this month.
In the case's first state court hearing, an attorney for the city called some of the 603 recordings "graphic and disturbing." Families of the victims need advance notice if the judge considers making the calls public, said attorney Darryl Bloodworth.
The hourlong hearing was the latest in a dispute between two dozen media outlets, the City of Orlando and the Department of Justice over whether the calls should be released under Florida's public records laws. The city has argued they are exempt under the FBI's active criminal investigation and because some calls may depict a death.
"It's not always possible to tell exactly who is speaking on some of these, so it may not be easy to say whether the person speaking on the call is someone who was killed or not," he said in court Friday.
Meanwhile, the DOJ on Friday appealed an earlier ruling that sent the case back to state court and said it will also file a motion to halt proceedings. The case will continue before Orange-Osceola Circuit Judge Margaret Schreiber unless a judge agrees with the FBI's motion.
Media attorney Rachel Fugate said the FBI should not be a party to the case because the records belong to the city. The recordings should be released, she has maintained, so the public can evaluate police response to the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history, which left 49 people dead and at least 53 others injured at the gay nightclub south of downtown.
This week, Orlando Police released nine calls from people outside the club or calling from elsewhere. The Orange County Sheriff's Office released 20 calls as well.
The next hearing is scheduled for Sept. 19. The hearing over key arguments is set for Sept. 23.
