Funeral services held for Facebook live shooting victim

Funeral services have been held for a Cleveland retiree whose shooting death was posted on Facebook.

Family members on Saturday recalled Robert Godwin Sr. as a loving, gentle person who taught the importance of forgiveness.

The 74-year-old Godwin was shot Easter Sunday along a Cleveland street.

Gunman Steve Stephens led police on a 2-mile chase in Erie, Pennsylvania, before fatally shooting himself Tuesday.

Tonya Godwin-Baines, one of Godwin's 10 children, said the family forgives Stephens.

Stephens was a 37-year-old job counselor who worked with young people.

Police would not speculate on what triggered the killing, but in the Facebook video and other footage he posted, Stephens talked about having trouble with his girlfriend and losing everything he had to gambling.

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The man who randomly killed a Cleveland retiree and posted video of the crime on Facebook shot himself to death Tuesday after police chased him down in his car in Pennsylvania, ending a multistate manhunt less than 48 hours after it began.

Acting a tip, Pennsylvania State Police spotted Steve Stephens, 37, in Erie County, in the state's northwest corner, authorities said. After a brief pursuit, he pulled over, and as officers approached the car, he took his own life, authorities said.

"We would have preferred it not ended this way," Cleveland Police Chief Calvin Williams said.

The break in the case came when police received a tip that Stephens' car was in a McDonald's parking lot, Willlams said. Law enforcement officials had said on Monday that his cellphone was last tracked Sunday afternoon near Erie, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) east of Cleveland.

Stephens, a job counselor who worked with teenagers and young people, was wanted on an aggravated murder charge in the shooting of Robert Godwin Sr., a 74-year-old man who was picking up aluminum cans on Sunday when he was gunned down.

Stephens posted a video of himself killing Godwin. "I snapped, I just snapped," he said.

Police would not speculate on what was behind the killing, but in the video and other footage he posted, he talked about losing everything he had to gambling and having trouble with his girlfriend.

The video of the killing was up for three hours before it was taken down, raising questions about Facebook's handling of objectionable material posted by its users. Facebook said it removed the video 23 minutes after learning of it.

In the video of the shooting, Stephens told Godwin the name of his girlfriend and said, "She's the reason that this is about to happen to you." Godwin did not seem to recognize the name.

The woman Stephens spoke of, Joy Lane, said in a text message to CBS that "we had been in a relationship for several years. I am sorry that all of this has happened."

Investigators said that Godwin was the only victim so far linked to Stephens, despite his claim on Facebook that he killed over a dozen people.

Detectives spoke with the suspect on Sunday by cellphone and tried to persuade him to surrender, police said.

Within a day, authorities expanded the search nationwide and offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to his capture.

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Pennsylvania State Police say the suspect in the random killing of a Cleveland retiree posted on Facebook has shot and killed himself after a brief pursuit.

State police say Steve Stephens was spotted Tuesday morning by state police in Erie County, in the state's northwest corner. Authorities say police tried to pull Stephens over and, after a brief pursuit, he shot and killed himself.

Stephens was wanted on an aggravated murder charge in the shooting death of a 74-year-old retired man in Cleveland on Sunday.

He posted video of that shooting on Facebook.

Police in Ohio urged residents in surrounding states on Monday to be on alert for a man who they said shot and killed an elderly passerby seemingly at random and then posted a gruesome video of the killing on Facebook.

Steve Stephens, 37, was wanted on a charge of aggravated murder in the death of Robert Godwin Sr. in Cleveland.

In a statement early Monday, police warned residents of Pennsylvania, New York, Indiana and Michigan to be on the lookout for Stephens, who they said may have traveled out of state.

In the video, which appears shaky, Stephens gets out of his car and appears to randomly target Godwin, 74, who is holding a plastic shopping bag. Stephens says the name of a woman, whom Godwin does not seem to recognize.

"She's the reason that this is about to happen to you," Stephens tells Godwin before pointing a gun at him. Godwin can be seen shielding his face with the shopping bag.

Facebook said the suspect did go live on the social media website at one point during the day, but not during the killing. Police earlier had said that Stephens had broadcast it on Facebook Live.

The video of the killing was on Facebook for about three hours before it was removed. Stephens Facebook page also was eventually removed.

"This is a horrific crime and we do not allow this kind of content on Facebook," said a company spokesperson. "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."

The victim's son, Robert Godwin Jr., told Cleveland.com that he can't bring himself to watch the video.

"I haven't watched the video. I haven't even looked at my cellphone or the news," Godwin said. "I don't really want to see it."

He said his father, a retired foundry worker, collected aluminum cans and often walked with a plastic shopping bag, picking cans up if he saw them on ground. The son said he believed his father was looking for cans on Sunday when Stephens approached him.

In a separate video posted on Facebook, Stephens claimed to have killed more than a dozen other people.

"Like I said, I killed 13, so I'm working on 14 as we speak," he said.

Police have not verified any other shootings or deaths, Police Chief Calvin Williams said.

"There are no more victims that we know are tied to him," he said.

Police said they have been talking with family and friends of Stephens, who is a case manager at Beech Brook, a behavioral health agency headquartered in Pepper Pike, near Cleveland.

"We were shocked and horrified to learn of this news today," agency spokeswoman Nancy Kortemeyer said in a statement. "We are hoping that the Cleveland Police will be able to apprehend Mr. Stephens as soon as possible and before anyone else is injured."

In one of the videos, Stephens can be seen holding up his Beech Brook employee identification badge.

"I'm killing with my Beech Brook badge on too," he says.

Stephens also mentioned his fraternity, Omega Psi Phi, in one of his Facebook posts. The fraternity issued a statement Sunday night.

"On behalf of the Supreme Council and the members of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Incorporated, we lift our sincere and heartfelt prayers and condolences of comfort to the families impacted by the recent shooting in Cleveland, Ohio," it said.

Police said Stephens should be considered armed and dangerous.

The FBI said it was assisting in the investigation.