Sandy Hook parents shuns 911 tapes

Sandy Hook father Andrew Paley was in a Pittsburgh airport restaurant Wednesday afternoon when the television screen above him advised of a news announcement about the release of the 911 tapes from the Dec. 14, 2012 shooting.

“I literally got up and left,” said Paley, whose twin sons were fourth-graders in the school on that fateful day.

Paley said he understands the legalities behind the release, but has no intention of listening to them, or reading the transcripts. The timing, though, is suspect, with it so close to the anniversary. He would have preferred such a release either earlier, or after.

“I have the choice not to listen to them…the general public has the right to listen to them or not, ” Paley said.

And he would not presume to tell others whether or not to do so. He just imagines that some of the contents could be a trigger of memories he would just rather avoid.

“I’m sure it will be hurtful to many people…It’s still surreal a year later,” Paley said.

He said the tapes may prove a help to law enforcement, and possibly school officials, but as a parent the tapes change little in his life, or how he feels about what happened on that day. His own children have spoken little of the event, or the coming anniversary.

“We’ve haven’t talked about it with them beyond telling them that they might hear some things, but no details,” Paley said of his sons who are now students at Reed Intermediate. He has a younger son who will be a student at Sandy Hook in two years. The advice he offered was that if they hear something and they don’t wish to hear it, “walk away.”

Sandy Hook mother Christine Wilford said she also has no intention of listening to the tapes, or reading stories about them.

“I’m not happy it’s happening,” said Wilford, who has a son in third-grade and a daughter in kindergarten at Sandy Hook. “I don’t plan to listen, and I want to keep my children away from it. My kids have not mentioned it at all. And we’re just following their lead.”

Nanci Hutson