CLEVELAND: A manhunt is underway for a suspect that police say killed a man while streaming the homicide live on Facebook.
Law enforcement is searching the Cleveland area and beyond for Steve Stephens, the suspect police say walked up to an elderly man and shot him while on video, said Cleveland police Chief Calvin Williams.
The victim has been identified as 74-year-old Robert Goodwin Sr.
Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson publicly urged Stephens to turn himself in to police and not to “do anymore harm to anybody.”
“Any problems he is having, we can have a conversation,” Jackson said.
In the video, Stephens said he “snapped” over a woman and claimed to have killed more than a dozen other people. Williams said police have not verified that information.
“There are no more victims that we know are tied to him,” he added.
The chief also said they’ve been talking with Stephens’ friends and family.
“What happened today was senseless,” he said.
Authorities say Stephens, who worked for Beech Brook, a behavioral health agency in Cleveland, broadcast the video live on the social media network Sunday afternoon. It was up for about three hours before it was removed. Stephens’ Facebook page has also been removed.
This is not the first time Facebook Live has been used to broadcast violence or death. In January, four people in Chicago were arrested after they allegedly beat a mentally disabled man live on the social media site. In March, a 15-year-old Chicago girl was apparently sexually assaulted by five or six males on Facebook Live, and none of the roughly 40 people who watched it reported the attack, police said.
“This is a horrific crime, and we do not allow this kind of content on Facebook,” said a spokesperson for Facebook. “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.”
Police say Stephens should be considered armed and dangerous.
Williams said Stephens may be driving a newer model white Ford Fusion, possibly with a temporary license plate. He is described as a black man with a bald head and beard, standing 6 feet 1 inch and weighing 240 pounds. Anyone with information is asked to call 911.