American TV news stations have carried recordings of the 911 calls made when school shooter Adam Lanza (20) attacked.

Seven 911 calls have been released to media under Freedom of Information rules ,almost one year after the December 14 2012 tragedy. Lanza murdered 20 children and six staff with a semi-automatic rifle, before killing himself. He had earlier shot his Mother at their Newtown home.

One early caller told police that a gunman was shooting inside the building.

"I caught a glimpse of somebody. They're running down the hallway. Oh, they're still running and still shooting. Sandy Hook school, please," the woman said.

CNN aired a selection - *WARNING* Explicit and upsetting audio contained in this video:

The prosecutor in charge of the Newtown investigation, State's Attorney Stephen Sedensky III, had argued that releasing the tapes could prove painful to the victims' families, hurt the investigation, subject witnesses to harassment and violate the rights of survivors who deserve special protection as victims of child abuse.

A state judge dismissed those arguments last week and ordered the tapes be released Wednesday unless the state appealed.

As the town prepared to release the tapes, the superintendent of Newtown schools, John Reed, advised parents to consider taking steps to limit media exposure for their families, as he did before the release last week of a prosecutor's report on the attack.

Victims' families have appeal for privacy ahead of next week's anniversary.