Judge to Consider Releasing Church Shooting 911 Tapes

BRUCE SMITH, Associated Press

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — A South Carolina judge will hear arguments on whether to release 911 calls and other documents in the shooting deaths of nine black parishioners at a church.

Judge J.C. Nicholson hears from attorneys during a hearing Wednesday in Charleston.

Various news organizations, including The Associated Press, are challenging Nicholson's order preventing attorneys from discussing the case and preventing the release of emergency calls, witness statements and documents stemming from the June 17 shootings at Emanuel AME Church.

Attorneys for the victims' families say the material shouldn't be released because doing so would violate the victims' rights to privacy.

The judge expressed concern earlier that the right to a fair trial for Dylann Roof, who's charged in the case, could also be jeopardized by pretrial publicity.

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