The man dubbed the Facebook killer, Steve Stephens, committed suicide on Tuesday morning in Pennsylvania as cops closed in on him.
Stephens, 37, sparked a multi-state manhunt after he shot and killed Robert Godwin seemingly at random on Sunday, recording the encounter on his phone and uploading the horrific video to Facebook. Godwin’s family said he had no connection to Stephens or a woman Stephens mentioned during the incident.
Stephens was spotted in a McDonald’s parking lot in Erie County just after 11 a.m. by a member of the public who quickly contacted Pennsylvania State Police. After a 2-mile chase, “troopers attempted a PIT maneuver to disable Stephens’ vehicle…As the vehicle was spinning out of control from the PIT maneuver, Stephens pulled a pistol and shot himself in the head,” a state police Facebook statement said.
Stephens was driving a white Ford Fusion, a picture of which had been circulated by police, when he was discovered.
It was not suspected that Stephens killed anyone else during his nearly 48 hours on the run. His cellphone had reportedly “pinged” in the area on Sunday; however, a search for him there was futile and officials said the report appeared unfounded. Yet federal officials were back combing through the area again on Tuesday when Stephens killed himself.
A patrolman involved in the pursuit of Stephens on Tuesday couldn’t stop his car in time and slid into Stephens’ vehicle, causing minor damage. No officers were injured, state police said in a statement.
