Story by
Abhimanyu Ghoshal
Managing EditorAbhimanyu is TNW's Managing Editor, and is all about personal devices, Asia's tech ecosystem, as well as the intersection of technology and Abhimanyu is TNW's Managing Editor, and is all about personal devices, Asia's tech ecosystem, as well as the intersection of technology and culture. Hit him up on Twitter, or write in: [email protected].
On Easter Sunday, 37-year-old Steve Stephens from Cleveland, Ohio, uploaded a video to Facebook which showed him shooting and killing a senior citizen at point blank range, on a sidewalk.
The victim was identified by Cleveland Police as 74-year-old Robert Godwin Sr. He is believed to have no connection or relation to Stephens, who, in a previous video, said he was driven to kill people by his girlfriend Joy Lane. He also claimed to have killed about a dozen more people, but that is yet to be verified.
At the time of writing, Stephens remains at large, and police say he is armed and dangerous.
A previous report indicated that Stephens livestreamed the murder on Facebook Live, but it was later found that he uploaded the video some time after filming it. He did broadcast a live video separately, though.
Facebook statement on Cleveland shooting video: "This is a horrific crime and we do not allow this kind of content" https://t.co/G8mpL2QxfI
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) April 16, 2017
Facebook has unwittingly played host to some horrific incidents captured on video. Last month, the sexual assault of a 15-year-old girl by several men was livestreamed on the platform and watched by nearly 40 people in real-time – and none of them reported the crime to police.
An aggravated murder warrant has been issued for Stephens, and authorities warn that he could now be in other states.
#BREAKING: Police say Steve Stephens could be in other states. Residents in Pennsylvania, New York, Indiana and Michigan should be on alert.
— News 5 Cleveland (@WEWS) April 17, 2017
Via BuzzFeed