Plan B Forum

Police announce $50,000 reward for arrest of Facebook killer as search intensifies



Authorities are asking for the public's help in a national search for an armed and dangerous killer who allegedly gunned down an elderly man in Cleveland, Ohio, and uploaded the video to Facebook.

The suspect, Steve Stephens, hasn't been seen since the Sunday afternoon shooting in Cleveland.

In the video, which has since been removed from Facebook, Robert Godwin Sr., 74, can be seen raising his hands in an apparent attempt to ward off his attacker before he is shot once in the head.

Stephens claims to have committed multiple homicides, according to police. No additional victims have been found, police said.

"This is what we would consider a national search for Steve," Cleveland Police Chief Calvin Williams said at a news conference this afternoon. "So we are not going to leave any stone upturned."

"We have located a lot of people that he's been talking to," Williams said, adding that "they have been cooperative in the investigation so far."

Williams said authorities have yet to determine a motive for the shooting. "We’ve interviewed several people involved, and I don’t think there is any rhyme or reason for this happening," he said.

A reward of up to $50,000 is being offered for information leading to his arrest.

"We don't know where he's at," Wiliams said at a news conference this morning.

"At this point, he could be a lot of places," Stephen Anthony, special agent in charge of the FBI's Cleveland division, said this morning. He could be nearby, far away or anywhere in between, Anthony said.

Authorities said detectives did initially make contact with Stephens via cellphone after the incident was posted on Facebook, but they were not able to track him or convince him to turn himself in.

On Sunday night officers searched dozens of locations based on leads "to no avail," police said.

Police said there is no evidence that Stephens is outside Ohio.

Williams said this afternoon that authorities don’t have any reason to believe Stephens is not still driving a white Ford Fusion with temporary tag E363630.

Stephens is a member of the assertive community treatment team at Beech Brook, a mental health organization in northeast Ohio, a spokesperson for his employer said. [So a mental health worker's gone completely off his nut. Nice.]

Nancy Kortemeyer, vice president of marketing and PR at Beech Brook, "We are doing everything we can to help and help locate him. ... We are shocked and horrified."

Beech Brook said its offices will be closed today out of concern for the safety of its employees, clients and visitors.

Manhunt underway for Cleveland murder suspect who posted video of killing on Facebook: Police

Joy Lane, who dated Stephens for several years, said in a statement that Stephens is "a nice guy ...[Mr. Godwin, were he still alive, might beg to differ...]he is generous with everyone he knows. He was kind and loving to me and my children. This is a very difficult time for me and my family.”

In the video he uploaded to Facebook, Stephens mentions Lane in the moments before the shooting, saying to the victim, “She’s the reason why all this about to happen to you.”


In a statement, a Facebook spokesperson called the incident a "horrific crime" and said that the company does "not allow this kind of content on Facebook."[Okay, Facebook has a strict no snuff films policy; good to know.]

The spokesperson added that the shooting itself was not broadcast on Facebook Live but was uploaded after the incident took place. The suspect did broadcast another video on Facebook Live at one point, the spokesperson said.

Cleveland police have issued a warrant for Stephens on a charge of aggravated murder.

Stephens doesn't have a criminal record, police said.

Williams said anyone helping hide Stephens will also face charges. Williams said the only way to help Stephens is to give police the information to bring him in peacefully. [Yeah, I wouldn't bet a lot of money on that. This type generally keeps running until they're cornered and either off themselves or commit suicide by cop...]

"We're not gonna stop until he's in custody," Williams said.

Local, state and federal law enforcement are involved in the search, said Anthony.

Econoline wrote:Jim - Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Elmer Fudd, Tweety Bird, Sylvester the Cat, Yosemite Sam, Foghorn Leghorn, Marvin the Martian, Pepé Le Pew, and Speedy Gonzales are all quite offended by your title for this thread!

"This is what we would consider a national search for Steve"

Three white men were killed and another wounded when a black gunman opened fire in Fresno, California, in a suspected race attack, police have said.

Kori Ali Muhammad shot 16 rounds in 90 seconds in the shooting spree on Tuesday, said Police Chief Jerry Dyer.

He shouted "God is great" in Arabic as police arrested him but this was a hate crime not terrorism, Mr Dyer believed.

Mr Muhammad was also wanted for the murder of a security guard outside a motel in the city last week.

The suspect, an African American, had indicated on social media that he hated white people and expressed anti-government views, said police.

All four victims were white men, and one of them was shot sitting in a car.

A second death is not really what I would consider a happy ending.

Joe Guy wrote:He probably had issues from being black all of his life. A couple years in jail and he will be fine.

Sue U wrote:I don't know why you would applaud the suicide of a person with a serious mental illness, oldr, much less urge that his corpse be abused. A second death is not really what I would consider a happy ending.

Of course, ready access to guns played no part in this tragedy.

Crackpot wrote:Older at what point is compassion no longer an option?

Joe Guy wrote:I'll admit that when I heard the murderer had killed himself the first thing that came to mind was, "Good. He saved us from having to do it". I wasn't thinking about the murderer. I was thinking about the man he killed and the effect it will have on that family. I didn't think that he might be a poor mentally ill murderer.

And now that I've had more time to think about, my mind hasn't changed. He killed a man and posted a video of it on Facebook. I'll save my compassion for someone who isn't a cold-blooded murderer.