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Cleveland police seek suspect in killing filmed, uploaded to Facebook

Police warn Penn., Mich., New York, Ind. residents
Posted at 4:44 PM, Apr 16, 2017
and last updated 2017-04-17 07:23:52-04

CLEVELAND -- Cleveland police and the FBI are searching for a man who they say shot and killed a man, filmed the fatal shooting and uploaded it to Facebook, News 5 Cleveland reported.

Police said Steve Stephens shot and killed 74-year-old Robert Godwin Sr. at 635 East 93rd Street, according to News 5 Cleveland. Police said Sunday night Stephens may have now left the state and they are warning residents of Pennsylvania, Indiana, Michigan and New York to be on alert.

Steve Stephens is driving this Ford Fusion. Photo courtesy of News 5 Cleveland.

Stephens is described as 6-foot-1, 244 pounds and bald with a full beard. He may be wearing a dark blue and gray or black-striped polo shirt. He is driving a white Ford Fusion with temporary tag E363630. Police said Stephens is armed and dangerous.

Stephens began filming the Facebook video in his car, according to News 5 Cleveland. The video of the shooting was not broadcast live, as widely reported. It was recorded and then uploaded to Facebook by Stephens, according to a Facebook spokesperson.

"I found somebody I am about to kill. I’m about to kill this old dude," he said. 

Cleveland State University warned those near campus to shelter in place. 

Stephens claimed he had committed other murders, but that information has not been confirmed. 

In the video, Stephens says a woman is the motive behind the shooting. 

In between videos, Stephens posted other updates, saying "This sh** is real," and "I just killed another that makes 13."

During the Facebook Live, Stephens was wearing his work badge for behavioral health agency Beech Brook. 

A Beech Brook spokesperson sent this statement to News 5: 

"We are shocked. We learned about the incident via Facebook. We are horrified. We are hoping for a quick resolution and we hope no one else is harmed."

Facebook issued the following statement regarding the incident:

“This is a horrific crime and we do not allow this kind of content on 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.”

News 5 Cleveland is a media partner of WCPO.com.