Cleveland Facebook slaying suspect Steve Stephens kills himself

Stephens shot self after chase, police say

12:50 p.m.

The daughter of a retiree slain in an apparently random Cleveland shooting that was recorded and shared on Facebook says she's sad that the suspect killed himself in Pennsylvania.

Debbie Godwin tells The Associated Press she would have preferred that 37-year-old Steve Stephens remain alive and face prison time for the Sunday shooting of 74-year-old Robert Godwin Sr. She says: "If you did it, you have to face your crime."

Authorities say they received a tip that Stephens' vehicle was in the parking lot of a McDonald's in Erie on Tuesday. They say state police tried to pull him over and, after a brief chase, he shot himself.

It wasn't immediately clear where Stephens had been since the Sunday shooting.

12:40 p.m.

Police say the man who killed a man in Cleveland and posted video of it on Facebook was located in Pennsylvania because of a tip, which led to a pursuit that ended with the suspect shooting himself to death.

Cleveland police Chief Calvin Williams says authorities received a tip that Steve Stephens' vehicle was in the parking lot of a McDonald's in Erie on Tuesday morning. State police tried to pull him over and, after a brief chase, he killed himself.

It wasn't immediately clear where Stephens had been since the Sunday shooting in Cleveland, which killed a 74-year-old retired man.

Williams says investigators had hoped to talk with Stephens to find out a motive.

12:20 p.m.

Cleveland's mayor says the death of a man who randomly killed an Ohio retiree and posted Facebook video of the slaying brings some closure in the slaying of an innocent man.

Authorities say 37-year-old Steve Stephens fatally shot himself after a brief pursuit in northwest Pennsylvania on Tuesday.

It wasn't immediately clear where Stephens had been since Sunday.

Authorities say Pennsylvania police got a tip that Stephens was spotted Tuesday morning in a fast food restaurant parking lot in Erie County, in Pennsylvania's northwest corner. Authorities say police tried to pull him over and, after a brief chase, he killed himself.

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

11:55 a.m.

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.

10 a.m.

Authorities in Cleveland leading a nationwide search for a man wanted in a random killing that was recorded and posted to Facebook are again appealing to the public for help.

Cleveland's police chief said Tuesday they've received more than 400 tips from as far away as Texas, but so far they've been unable to narrow down the manhunt.

The search for 37-year-old Steve Stephens is entering its third day. He's wanted on an aggravated murder charge in the shooting death of a 74-year-old retired man in Cleveland on Sunday.

Police Chief Calvin Williams says anyone who thinks they've seen Stephens should call 911.

The head of the U.S. Marshal's office in Cleveland says he's confident Stephens will be found. But he says these searches can take days, weeks or even longer.

Stay with ClickOrlando.com for more on this developing story.


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