Cleveland police have issued an aggravated murder warrant for a man accused of shooting and killing another man in Cleveland and posting the video on Facebook.
UPDATE: The video of the shooting was not broadcast live, as widely reported. It was recorded and then uploaded to Facebook by Steve Stephens, according to a Facebook spokesperson. In a statement, the spokesperson said the shooting was a "horrific crime."
The shooting happened on Easter Sunday around 2 p.m. The suspect, Stephens, also claimed to have committed multiple other homicides. That information has not been verified by police.
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.
Michigan State Police Lt. Shaw said their intelligence center is in contact with Ohio but they have no indicators that he's heading to Michigan at this time.
Stephens shot and killed 74-year-old Robert Godwin Sr. Sunday in Cleveland.
Cleveland-based WEWS obtained the videos before Stephens' Facebook page was deactivated. Stephens began filming one of the videos while sitting in his car.
After he spotted the man he's accused of killing, he said: "I found somebody I am about to kill. I’m about to kill this old dude."
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 video posted on Facebook, Stephens was wearing his work badge for behavioral health agency Beech Brook.
A Beech Brook spokesperson sent this statement to WEWS:
"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.”
WEWS spoke to the victim's family, who described Goodwin as a "good man."
Stephens is described as being just over 6 feet tall, weighing about 244 pounds. He is bald with a full beard. The FBI is also assisting in the search.
Police say the suspect's vehicle is a white Ford Fusion with temporary tag E363630.
If you see the suspect, call 911.
