Cleveland, Ohio - Cleveland police urged a suspect who
they said posted video of himself on Facebook killing an elderly
man on Sunday to turn himself in to authorities.
Officials in the Ohio city said they were looking for Steve
Stephens in connection with the one confirmed killing but had
found no evidence to support what police said was a claim he
made in the video of having killed more than a dozen other
people.
"Everybody is out there looking for Steve," Calvin Williams,
the Cleveland police chief, told a news conference, where he
joined Mayor Frank Jackson in asking Stephens to turn himself
in. They said Stephens might be driving a white or cream-colored
Ford Fusion, and that he was armed and dangerous.
"We want this to end with as much peace as we can bring to
this right now," Williams said, adding police knew of no other
victims.
Police said Stephens used Facebook to post video of
him killing the man, who police identified as 74-year-old Robert
Godwin Sr. Stephens is not believed to have known Godwin, police
said.
The world's largest online social network, used by more than
1.2 billion people every day, condemned the accused killer's
action.
"This is a horrific crime and we do not allow this kind of
content on Facebook," said a spokesperson for the company. "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."
It is not the first time a serious crime has been posted on
Facebook. In January, four black people in Chicago were accused
of attacking an 18-year-old disabled white man and broadcasting
the assault on the service while making anti-white racial
taunts.
A month later, the suspects pleaded not guilty to assaulting
the man.