A manhunt was underway Sunday in Cleveland, Ohio, after a man broadcast what appeared to be a murder on Facebook and said he had killed others.
The suspect, who police identified as Steve Stephens, posted a video on Facebook showing him shooting and killing a man. The video remained up for about three hours before Facebook Inc. (NASDAQ:FB) shut it down and disabled his account.
While early reports said the shooting was live-streamed, Facebook said late Sunday that the video appeared to have been recorded and then uploaded.
In the video, posted around 3 p.m. local time, Stephens walks up to an older man — later identified as Robert Godwin Sr., 74 — and shoots him in the head. He continued to stream images of the body on the blood-soaked ground.
Stephens posted a second Facebook Live video saying he had snapped and “messed up.” He also claimed to have killed more than a dozen others, but Cleveland Police Chief Calvin Williams said no other victims have been found.
Cleveland police locked down a number of areas near the shooting, including two hospitals and Cleveland State University. Police said the shooting appeared random, and that Stephens should be considered armed and dangerous.
“This is a horrific crime and we do not allow this kind of content on Facebook,” a Facebook spokesperson said in a statement late Sunday. “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 incident appears to be the latest in a series of violent acts broadcast on Facebook. Earlier this month, a Chicago teen was arrested in connection with a sexual assault streamed on Facebook. According to a Wall Street Journal report, at least 64 other violent acts, including rape, murder and assault have been broadcast on Facebook Live.