Authorities in Ohio Monday expanded their search for a man suspected of recording the shooting death of a Cleveland man and sharing the video on Facebook.
Steve Stephens, 37, is wanted for aggravated murder in the Sunday killing of Robert Godwin Sr., a 74-year-old Cleveland man who was walking home from a family Easter gathering around 2 p.m. when police said Stephens shot him for no apparent reason.
“All federal, state and local partners are working side by side to do everything humanly possible to find Mr. Stephens,” Stephen Anthony, the FBI special agent in charge of the Cleveland office, said at a news conference Monday. “Obviously, this individual is armed and dangerous.”
An intense manhunt, so far, has been fruitless.
“Quite frankly at this point, he could be a lot of places,” Anthony said. “He could be nearby, he could be far away, anywhere in between.”
Stephens was last seen where police say he shot Godwin, on the city’s northeast side, just north of I-90.
Anthony said “any and all resources” were being used in the search, not only in Cleveland, but throughout the U.S.
Pete Elliott, of the U.S. Marshals Service, said law enforcement pressure was likely to lead to Stephens’ capture.
“We’re going to make this individual’s world very, very, very small,” Elliot said.
Cleveland Police Chief Calvin Williams said officers searched dozens of locations Sunday night, based on multiple leads, but found nothing.
“We know Steve is still out there. We don’t know his condition,” Williams said. He urged people to call local or federal tip lines if they see Stephens.
“If you’re helping Steve or think you’re helping Steve, you’re really not,” Williams added. “The only way to help him is to give him the information or to talk him or convince him into turning himself in.”
Authorities said there’s no clear motive for what prompted Stephens to open fire on a man he didn’t appear to know. In the video posted to Stephens’ Facebook page, since removed, he complains about a woman as he’s driving in his car. When he spots Godwin, he stops, gets out and talks with him briefly, mentioning the woman’s name. Then he shoots. Godwin died at the scene.
In other Facebook messages on his since-removed page, Stephens claimed he had previously killed other people. Police said the boast was unverified and they knew of no additional victims.
Godwin’s family described him as a father of nine who had 14 grandchildren and was the type of man to “give you the shirt off his back.”
“This man right here was a good man. I hate he’s gone … I don’t know what I’m going to do. … It’s not real,” Godwin’s son told local TV affiliate 19 News on Sunday.
Several GoFundMe and other crowd-funding accounts had been set up for Godwin as of Monday. Chief Williams advised people not to donate to them, per the family’s wishes. Godwin’s family plans to announce their own fundraiser on Monday via the police, Williams said.
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