A murder suspect who police said posted a video on Facebook of the killing of a Cleveland man fatally shot himself after a &quot;brief pursuit&quot; by Pennsylvania State Police officers on Tuesday, police said.

Steve Stephens was accused of shooting Robert Godwin Sr, 74, on a sidewalk on Sunday before fleeing in a car and uploading a video of the murder to Facebook, becoming the focus of a nationwide manhunt.

Pennsylvania State Police officers found Stephens in Erie County, Pennsylvania, after getting a tip from the public that his white Ford Fusion was parked outside a McDonald&#39;s fast-food restaurant, Calvin Williams, the Cleveland police chief, told a news conference.

After a brief chase, Stephens stopped his vehicle, Williams said.

&quot;As the officers approached that vehicle Steve Stephens took his own life,&quot; Williams said. &quot;We would have preferred that it had not ended this way,&quot; he added, saying he and the community would have had &quot;a lot of questions&quot; for Stephens.

Stephens, who had no prior criminal record, was not suspected in any other killings, Cleveland officials said. Stephens said in a separate video on Facebook on Sunday that he had already killed a dozen others.

The shooting marked the latest video clip of a violent crime to turn up on Facebook, raising questions about how the world&#39;s biggest social media network moderates content.

The company will do all it can to prevent content like Stephens&#39; post, Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg told Facebook&#39;s annual conference for software developers on Tuesday in San Jose.

Facebook on Monday said it would review how it monitors violent footage and other objectionable material in response to the killing after Stephens&#39; post was visible on the social media site for about two hours.

Stephens is not believed to have known Godwin, a retired foundry worker who media reports said spent Easter Sunday morning with his son and daughter-in-law before he was killed.

Beech Brook, a behavioural health facility in a Cleveland suburb where Stephens had worked since 2008, said in a statement on Tuesday that Stephens had cleared an extensive background check.

In interviews before Stephens&#39; death, some of Godwin&#39;s relatives forgave his killer.

&quot;I forgive him because we are all sinners,&quot; Robby Miller, Godwin&#39;s son, said in an interview with CNN.

Others were less sympathetic.

&quot;All I can say is that I wish he had gone down in a hail of 100 bullets,&quot; Godwin&#39;s daughter, Brenda Haymon, told CNN. &quot;I wish it had gone down like that instead of him shooting himself.&quot;

(Reuters)

Steve Stephens was accused of shooting Robert Godwin Sr, 74, on a sidewalk on Sunday and posting the video on Facebook

A murder suspect who police said posted a video on Facebook of the killing of a Cleveland man fatally shot himself after a "brief pursuit" by Pennsylvania State Police officers on Tuesday, police said. Steve Stephens was accused of shooting Robert Godwin Sr, 74, on a sidewalk on Sunday before fleeing in a car and uploading a video of the murder to Facebook, becoming the focus of a nationwide manhunt. Pennsylvania State Police officers found Stephens in Erie County, Pennsylvania, after getting a tip from the public that his white Ford Fusion was parked outside a McDonald's fast-food restaurant, Calvin Williams, the Cleveland police chief, told a news conference. After a brief chase, Stephens stopped his vehicle, Williams said. "As the officers approached that vehicle Steve Stephens took his own life," Williams said. "We would have preferred that it had not ended this way," he added, saying he and the community would have had "a lot of questions" for Stephens. Stephens, who had no prior criminal record, was not suspected in any other killings, Cleveland officials said. Stephens said in a separate video on Facebook on Sunday that he had already killed a dozen others. The shooting marked the latest video clip of a violent crime to turn up on Facebook, raising questions about how the world's biggest social media network moderates content. The company will do all it can to prevent content like Stephens' post, Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg told Facebook's annual conference for software developers on Tuesday in San Jose. Facebook on Monday said it would review how it monitors violent footage and other objectionable material in response to the killing after Stephens' post was visible on the social media site for about two hours. Stephens is not believed to have known Godwin, a retired foundry worker who media reports said spent Easter Sunday morning with his son and daughter-in-law before he was killed. Beech Brook, a behavioural health facility in a Cleveland suburb where Stephens had worked since 2008, said in a statement on Tuesday that Stephens had cleared an extensive background check. In interviews before Stephens' death, some of Godwin's relatives forgave his killer. "I forgive him because we are all sinners," Robby Miller, Godwin's son, said in an interview with CNN. Others were less sympathetic. "All I can say is that I wish he had gone down in a hail of 100 bullets," Godwin's daughter, Brenda Haymon, told CNN. "I wish it had gone down like that instead of him shooting himself." (Reuters)

US: Suspect who posted murder video on Facebook kills himself

US police on Monday widened a manhunt for a gunman who shot and killed an elderly man, and then posted a video of the seemingly random Easter Sunday attack on Facebook.

Police in Cleveland, Ohio said they believe the suspect, 37-year-old Steve Stephens, is armed and dangerous. Federal authorities offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to Stephens&#39;s arrest.

Cleveland police on Monday alerted authorities in four nearby states -- Pennsylvania, New York, Indiana and Michigan -- to be on the lookout for Stephens. Later in the day, they expanded their search nationwide.&nbsp;

&quot;Our reach now is basically all over this country,&quot; said Cleveland police chief Calvin Williams.&nbsp;

&quot;This is what we would consider a national search.&quot;

Robert Godwin Sr, 74, was shot and killed on Sunday, apparently at random, as he walked home after an Easter dinner, police and local media reported.

&quot;We know that Steve is still out there someplace,&quot; Williams said. &quot;We don&#39;t know his condition and, of course, right now we don&#39;t know his location. We&#39;re asking the public to remain vigilant.&quot;

Police issued an arrest warrant for aggravated homicide against Stephens, described as a six-foot one-inch, 244-pound (1.85 m, 110-kilo) black man with a full beard who was last seen in a white Ford Fusion with temporary license plates.

Authorities said that they were assuming he was still with his vehicle more than 24 hours after the murder.&nbsp;

In a video uploaded to Stephens&#39;s Facebook page, a man resembling him is seen exiting a vehicle and approaching his victim, who is shown with a gun to his head and then falling to the ground after a shot is fired.

&quot;I killed 13, so I&#39;m working on 14 as we speak,&quot; the suspect says in a second video clip. &quot;I&#39;m just driving around hitting motherfuckers, man. I just snapped man, fuck.&quot;

So far, however, police say they are aware of just one victim killed by Stephens.

Mad with his girlfriend

Since the shooting, Facebook has taken down Stephens&#39;s videos.&nbsp;

&quot;This is a horrific crime and we do not allow this kind of content on Facebook,&quot; the company said in a statement. &nbsp;

&quot;We work hard to keep a safe environment on Facebook, and are in touch with law enforcement in emergencies when there are direct threats to physical safety.&quot;

Stephens&#39;s mother told CNN she called him on Sunday after learning about the video and he told her he was shooting people because he was &quot;mad with his girlfriend.&quot;

Police said the woman he referred to was in a safe place.

Cleveland detectives also made contact with Stephens by phone early in the investigation, Williams said.

&quot;They tried to, of course, convince him to turn himself in and, of course, that hasn&#39;t happened to date,&quot; he said.

Earlier reports that Stephens might be on the run in Pennsylvania were not correct, police said.&nbsp;

Dozens of searches&nbsp;

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the US Marshals Service have joined the hunt.

&quot;This man is dangerous and he could be nearby, he could be far away, anywhere in between,&quot; said Stephen Anthony, the FBI special agent in charge.

&quot;We&#39;re going to make this individual&#39;s world very, very, very small, so I&#39;m very optimistic,&quot; said Peter Elliot, the marshal on the case. &quot;I think things are going to happen, and I believe things are going to happen pretty quickly.&quot;

But Williams said police had searched dozens of locations overnight &quot;to no avail.&quot;

&quot;If there&#39;s somebody who is helping Steve or think you&#39;re helping Steve, you&#39;re really not. You&#39;re going to get yourself in trouble, along with him,&quot; he warned.

Stephens worked for Beech Brook, a behavioral health agency serving children through mental health services, foster care and adoption, at-risk youth and other programs.&nbsp;

In his video, Stephens displayed his Beech Brook badge.

&quot;We are shocked and horrified like everyone else,&quot; Nancy Kortemeyer, a spokeswoman for the facility told CNN.&nbsp;

&quot;To think that one of our employees could do this is awful.&quot;

(AFP)

'Our reach now is basically all over this country,' said Cleveland police chief Calvin Williams

US police on Monday widened a manhunt for a gunman who shot and killed an elderly man, and then posted a video of the seemingly random Easter Sunday attack on Facebook. Police in Cleveland, Ohio said they believe the suspect, 37-year-old Steve Stephens, is armed and dangerous. Federal authorities offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to Stephens's arrest. Cleveland police on Monday alerted authorities in four nearby states -- Pennsylvania, New York, Indiana and Michigan -- to be on the lookout for Stephens. Later in the day, they expanded their search nationwide. "Our reach now is basically all over this country," said Cleveland police chief Calvin Williams. "This is what we would consider a national search." Robert Godwin Sr, 74, was shot and killed on Sunday, apparently at random, as he walked home after an Easter dinner, police and local media reported. "We know that Steve is still out there someplace," Williams said. "We don't know his condition and, of course, right now we don't know his location. We're asking the public to remain vigilant." Police issued an arrest warrant for aggravated homicide against Stephens, described as a six-foot one-inch, 244-pound (1.85 m, 110-kilo) black man with a full beard who was last seen in a white Ford Fusion with temporary license plates. Authorities said that they were assuming he was still with his vehicle more than 24 hours after the murder. In a video uploaded to Stephens's Facebook page, a man resembling him is seen exiting a vehicle and approaching his victim, who is shown with a gun to his head and then falling to the ground after a shot is fired. "I killed 13, so I'm working on 14 as we speak," the suspect says in a second video clip. "I'm just driving around hitting motherfuckers, man. I just snapped man, fuck." So far, however, police say they are aware of just one victim killed by Stephens. Mad with his girlfriend Since the shooting, Facebook has taken down Stephens's videos. "This is a horrific crime and we do not allow this kind of content on Facebook," the company said in a statement. "We work hard to keep a safe environment on Facebook, and are in touch with law enforcement in emergencies when there are direct threats to physical safety." Stephens's mother told CNN she called him on Sunday after learning about the video and he told her he was shooting people because he was "mad with his girlfriend." Police said the woman he referred to was in a safe place. Cleveland detectives also made contact with Stephens by phone early in the investigation, Williams said. "They tried to, of course, convince him to turn himself in and, of course, that hasn't happened to date," he said. Earlier reports that Stephens might be on the run in Pennsylvania were not correct, police said. Dozens of searches The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the US Marshals Service have joined the hunt. "This man is dangerous and he could be nearby, he could be far away, anywhere in between," said Stephen Anthony, the FBI special agent in charge. "We're going to make this individual's world very, very, very small, so I'm very optimistic," said Peter Elliot, the marshal on the case. "I think things are going to happen, and I believe things are going to happen pretty quickly." But Williams said police had searched dozens of locations overnight "to no avail." "If there's somebody who is helping Steve or think you're helping Steve, you're really not. You're going to get yourself in trouble, along with him," he warned. Stephens worked for Beech Brook, a behavioral health agency serving children through mental health services, foster care and adoption, at-risk youth and other programs. In his video, Stephens displayed his Beech Brook badge. "We are shocked and horrified like everyone else," Nancy Kortemeyer, a spokeswoman for the facility told CNN. "To think that one of our employees could do this is awful." (AFP)

US: Search widens for man accused of posting video of murder on Facebook

Police today were searching for a gunman they said murdered a man live on Facebook in the US state of Ohio.

Officials in the city of Cleveland said the suspect, Steve Stephens, 37, shot his 74-year old victim at random -- a cold-blooded killing which was livestreamed on the internet.

&quot;Suspect did broadcast the killing on Facebook Live and has claimed to have committed multiple other homicides which are yet to be verified,&quot; Cleveland police wrote on Twitter.

At a press conference today, authorities urged Stephens to turn himself in.

&quot;Everyone is out there looking for Steve. We want this to end with as much peace as we can bring to this right now, and we want him to turn himself in,&quot; Cleveland Police Chief Calvin Williams told reporters, adding that local authorities were working with the FBI and regional law enforcement.

&quot;We have all of our partners in on this, and we&#39;ll look until we find him,&quot; Williams said.

Mayor Frank Jackson told reporters police were still trying to communicate with the suspect.

&quot;We want to communicate to him that we know who he is, and that he will eventually be caught. And that we&#39;re saying to him that he need not do any more,&quot; said Jackson.

Stephens was at large after fleeing in a white Ford Fusion with temporary license plates, police in the midwestern US city said.

Some local media reported that he had boasted on Facebook of killing more than a dozen people in an Easter Day massacre, but authorities said there was no indication of a broader killing spree.

(AFP)

The suspect Steve Stephens, 37, shot his 74-year old victim at random -- a cold-blooded killing which was livestreamed on the internet.

Police today were searching for a gunman they said murdered a man live on Facebook in the US state of Ohio. Officials in the city of Cleveland said the suspect, Steve Stephens, 37, shot his 74-year old victim at random -- a cold-blooded killing which was livestreamed on the internet. "Suspect did broadcast the killing on Facebook Live and has claimed to have committed multiple other homicides which are yet to be verified," Cleveland police wrote on Twitter. At a press conference today, authorities urged Stephens to turn himself in. "Everyone is out there looking for Steve. We want this to end with as much peace as we can bring to this right now, and we want him to turn himself in," Cleveland Police Chief Calvin Williams told reporters, adding that local authorities were working with the FBI and regional law enforcement. "We have all of our partners in on this, and we'll look until we find him," Williams said. Mayor Frank Jackson told reporters police were still trying to communicate with the suspect. "We want to communicate to him that we know who he is, and that he will eventually be caught. And that we're saying to him that he need not do any more," said Jackson. Stephens was at large after fleeing in a white Ford Fusion with temporary license plates, police in the midwestern US city said. Some local media reported that he had boasted on Facebook of killing more than a dozen people in an Easter Day massacre, but authorities said there was no indication of a broader killing spree. (AFP)

Manhunt underway for suspect accused of committing murder on Facebook

steve-stephens

Steve Stephens, News on Steve Stephens, stories on Steve Stephens, articles on Steve Stephens, Steve Stephens stories at Wion, Steve Stephens news, Steve Stephens latest news

steve stephens

US: Suspect who posted murder video on Facebook kills himself

US: Search widens for man accused of posting video of murder on Facebook

Manhunt underway for suspect accused of committing murder on Facebook