Steve Stephens (Cleveland Police Department, AP)

Steve Stephens, who sparked a nationwide manhunt after posting a Facebook video in which he randomly shot and killed an elderly man in Cleveland over the weekend, has killed himself in Erie, Pa., state police report.




According to NBC Philadelphia, Stephens was spotted by Pennsylvania State Police troopers Tuesday morning and fatally shot himself as he was being pursued.

As BuzzFeed notes, the FBI and U.S. Marshals Service began a nationwide search for the suspect, receiving more than 400 tips claiming that Stephens had been spotted everywhere from Pennsylvania to Texas.


Stephens was wanted in the death of 74-year-old Robert Godwin Sr., whose killing he uploaded to Facebook. In the video, Stephens got out of his vehicle and mentioned his ex-girlfriend Joy Lane.

Godwin pleaded with Stephens before he was shot, saying, “I don’t know anybody by that name.”


Godwin’s family had expressed forgiveness for the suspect’s part in their loved one’s death. Godwin’s son, Robert Godwin Jr., told CNN that he did not want the killer to die; instead, he wanted him to be brought to justice, whatever that might look like.


Read more at NBC Philadelphia and BuzzFeed.