By David E. Hubler
Contributor, EDM Digest
Law enforcement departments in at least five states and the FBI are searching for gunman Steve Stephens. Police say Stephens randomly shot a total stranger Sunday afternoon on a Cleveland street and then posted the killing on Facebook.
Law enforcement authorities in Pennsylvania, New York, Indiana and Michigan are looking for Stephens.
Law enforcement officials said the last place his cellphone signal was tracked was in Erie, Pennsylvania, about 100 miles east of Cleveland, on Sunday afternoon, the Associated Press reported.
“He could be nearby. He could be far away or anywhere in between,” FBI agent Stephen Anthony told AP.
Nine schools were locked down Monday in Philadelphia, as police investigated possible sightings of Stephens.
Facebook Victim Robert Godwin Did Not Provoke Shooting
Robert Godwin Sr., a father of nine children and grandfather of 14, was killed after a brief conversation with Stephens. Stephens told Godwin that a woman was to blame for what he was about to do. He then shot Godwin at point-blank range.
On a separate Facebook posting later, Stephens laughed about the shooting and claimed he had killed more than a dozen other victims.
Stephens said he was angry because of problems with a relationship with a woman named Joy Lane and other family members, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Lane is in protective custody and is cooperating with authorities, the newspaper said.
Stephens Urged to Turn Himself In
Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson publicly urged Stephens to turn himself in to police and not to “do any more harm to anybody.”
“Any problems he is having, we can have a conversation,” Jackson added.
Stephens drives a white or cream-colored Ford Fusion and is considered armed and dangerous, Cleveland police spokeswoman Sgt. Jennifer Ciaccia said.
About the Author
David E. Hubler brings a variety of government, journalism and teaching experience to his position as a Quality Assurance Editor at APUS. David’s professional background includes serving as a senior editor at CIA and the Voice of America. He has also been a managing editor for several business-to-business and business-to-government publishing companies. David has taught high school English in Connecticut and at Northern Virginia Community College. He has a master’s degree for Teachers of English from the University of New Hampshire and a B.A. in English from New York University. David’s 2015 book, “The Nats and the Grays, How Baseball in the Nation’s Capital Survived WWII and Changed the Game Forever,” has just been published in paperback by Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.
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