We, the comrades of Unit 1012: The VFFDP, send out utmost
condolences and heartfelt sorrow to the family members of Robert Godwin Sr. We
will not forget him on September 7 and April 16 every year. Justice was served
as the Facebook Killer had committed suicide.
Let us remember how he lived on this earth.
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Robert Godwin Sr.
(September 7, 1942 to April 16, 2017)
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Family members on Saturday (April 22, 2017) recalled Robert Godwin Sr. as a loving, gentle person who taught the importance of forgiveness.
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Robert Goodwin Sr. (pictured) was randomly
murdered by Steve Stephens on Facebook Live.
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Shooting
of Robert Godwin
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Location
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East
93rd Street
Glenville, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. |
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Date
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April
16, 2017
2:01 PM (EDT) |
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Target
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Robert
Godwin Sr.
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Attack type
|
|
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Weapons
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Handgun
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Deaths
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1
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Victim
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Robert
Godwin Sr.
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Perpetrator
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Steve
Stephens
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Motive
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Undetermined
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On April 16, 2017, 74-year-old Robert
Godwin Sr. was shot and killed while walking on a sidewalk in the Glenville neighborhood of Cleveland, Ohio. The suspect was
identified as 37-year-old Steve Stephens. He posted a cellphone video of the
shooting on his Facebook account, leading many media outlets, both during
the manhunt and afterward, to dub Stephens the "Facebook killer".
A warrant was issued for Stephens for aggravated murder. Two days later, he committed
suicide by gunshot when cornered by police in Erie County, Pennsylvania.
INTERNET
SOURCE: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shooting_of_Robert_Godwin
Shooting
The shooting happened at around 2:00
p.m. EDT on April 16, 2017, in the 600 block of East
93rd Street in Cleveland's Glenville neighborhood. The shooter uploaded a
video of the event. Seconds before the shooting, Stephens exited his car,
approached the victim and asked Godwin to say the name of a woman believed to
be associated with the suspect. Stephens then said "She's the reason why
this is about to happen to you", before shooting Godwin, who recoiled and
fell to the ground. Facebook said the video was uploaded to the
website after the fact, not livestreamed
as initially reported. In other Facebook posts, Stephens claimed responsibility
for thirteen murders, but police said they were not aware of any other victims.
Manhunt
A search for
Stephens began soon after the shooting, prompting lockdowns at a number of
locations, including Cleveland State University. Cleveland
Police Chief Calvin Williams told reporters that detectives talked with
Stephens by cellphone shortly after the shooting, but had had no further contact
with him since that time. The manhunt expanded to other states on the morning
of April 17. Residents in Pennsylvania, New York, Indiana, and Michigan were
asked to be on alert, and a US$50,000 reward was offered for information leading
to Stephens' arrest on a charge of aggravated murder. The FBI also aided the
Cleveland Police Department.
At 11:10 am
on April 18, Stephens pulled into the drive-through
lane of a McDonald's restaurant in Harborcreek Township,
Erie County, Pennsylvania, 100 miles from the location of the shooting. An
employee recognized Stephens from news reports and, after verifying with fellow
employees, provided Stephens with part of his order but stalled him by stating
that his fries were still cooking. During this time police were called to the
restaurant. Stephens, wary, left without his fries.
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Steve Stephens dead after shooting himself when
located by police.
[PHOTO SOURCE: https://bluelivesmatter.blue/steve-stephens-dead/#
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As Stephens
pulled out of the restaurant, state police gave chase heading westbound through
Wesleyville, Pennsylvania. Stephens made
it to the corner of Buffalo Road and Downing Avenue in the city of Erie, where Pennsylvania State Police successfully
executed a tactical maneuver to bring the car to a stop. As
police approached Stephens' car, he shot himself in the head, dying almost
immediately.
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Steve Stephens is pictured in this photo
released by Cleveland Police, April 16, 2017.
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Steve Stephens
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Born
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Died
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April
18, 2017 (aged 37)
Erie, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
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Cause of death
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Suicide
by gunshot
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Occupation
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Vocational
specialist
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Criminal status
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Deceased
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Suspect
Stephens worked at Beech Brook, a
behavioral health agency for children and families. He was wearing his work ID
badge and repeatedly mentioned Beech Brook in videos on the day of the murder.
Police confirmed there was no known connection between Godwin and Stephens
prior to the shooting and that Godwin was selected at random. Stephens' mother
was quoted as having told authorities that Stephens told her by phone he was
"shooting people" because he was "mad with his girlfriend"
of about three years, who was confirmed to be safe and was cooperating with
investigators.
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Children
of Man Murdered on Facebook Give Stunning Testimony During Anderson Cooper
Interview
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“He’d give you the shirt off his back,” said
the heartbroken man in the video. “I’m not just saying that for these cameras …
this man right here was a good man. And I just hate that he’s gone.” A reporter
for WKYC Channel 3 news later said that, according to his family, Godwin had spent
the morning fishing.
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Criticism of Facebook
The graphic video of Godwin's killing
remained accessible to the public on Stephens' Facebook page for more than two
hours on April 16 before it was removed by Facebook, according to a timeline
shared by the company. The delay generated renewed criticism of Facebook over
its handling of offensive content and, in particular, public posts of video and
other content related to violent crimes. "We have a lot of work [to do],
and we will keep doing all we can to prevent tragedies like this from
happening," Facebook CEO Mark
Zuckerberg said in his April 18 keynote address
at F8,
Facebook's annual developers conference. "Our hearts go out to the family
and friends of Robert Godwin Sr.", Zuckerberg added.
INTERNET SOURCE: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/philadelphia-cop-creates-beautiful-portrait-to-honor-shooting-victim-robert-godwin-sr/?ftag=CNM-00-10aab6a&linkId=36724686
By CBS News April 20, 2017,
3:42 PM
Philly cop
creates beautiful portrait of Robert Godwin, Sr., sends message
Police officers having a hard time finding the
right words to comfort the family of 74-year-old Robert Godwin, Sr., who was
killed last week in an apparently random shooting that was video-recorded and posted on Facebook, have found another
way to honor the man — with art.
Philadelphia Police Department forensic graphic
artist Jonny Castro created a digital painting of the Cleveland, Ohio, victim
on Tuesday. The department shared the portrait of a smiling Godwin on its
Facebook page, along with an eye-opening message.
“This digital painting of Cleveland, Ohio homicide
victim Robert Godwin, Sr. is being shared in order to get an extremely
important message out there,” the Philly police department wrote in a post that has been shared more than 8,500 times. “YOU – the
public – are the best weapon we have in the fight against crime. Sure, that’s a
cliche – but some cliches become cliches for a reason. FACT: Mr. Godwin’s
killer is no longer a threat because a citizen picked up a phone and called
police.”
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Philadelphia Police Department forensic graphic artist Jonny Castro
created a digital painting of Robert Godwin, Sr., who was shot and killed in
Cleveland, Ohio.
Good evening
This beautiful work of art was recently
completed by PPD Forensic Graphic Artist, Officer Jonny Castro.
This digital painting of Cleveland, Ohio
homicide victim Robert Godwin, Sr. is being shared in order to get an extremely
important message out there.
YOU - the public - are the best weapon we have
in the fight against crime. Sure, that's a cliche - but some cliches become
cliches for a reason. FACT: Mr. Godwin's killer is no longer a threat because a
citizen picked up a phone and called police.
Every day in this country, individuals like Mr.
Godwin are senselessly killed by cowards whose names aren't worth the
keystrokes necessary to type them into posts like this one. Far too often, it
is the names and faces of those criminals - not their victims - that are
remembered as we see them plastered all over the media.
The sooner those wanted individuals are in
custody, the sooner we can stop posting their pictures. Believe us - getting
them into custody and off of our pages and streets makes us very happy.
We need your help.
Call it "snitching", call it
"ratting", call it whatever you want. Regardless of your opinions on
the police, please consider putting them aside for just a moment and giving us
a call. You can always remain anonymous - and you can quite literally save a
life.
Our condolences to the family of Mr. Godwin, as
well as to the families and loved ones of victims of violence throughout
Philadelphia and the world. We promise to work tirelessly to bring closure for
these victims as well as the loved ones that are left behind to pick up the
pieces.
Please. We need your help.
Thanks for listening, for your support, and for
your help in making our city safe. Stay safe.
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The department is referring to the McDonald’s
employees in Erie, Pennsylvania, who recognized the 37-year-old murder suspect,
Steve Stephens, at a drive-thru Tuesday and attempted to stall him as they
contacted police.
Within “30 seconds,” Tom Ducharme Jr., who owns the
McDonald’s, told CBS affiliate WSEE Pennsylvania State Police had
responded and were on Stephens’ tail. Stephens killed himself after a brief
chase about two miles from the restaurant, ending a nearly 48-hour multistate manhunt.
“Every day in this country, individuals like Mr.
Godwin are senselessly killed by cowards whose names aren’t worth the
keystrokes necessary to type them into posts like this one. Far too often, it
is the names and faces of those criminals – not their victims – that are
remembered as we see them plastered all over the media,” Philadelphia police
continued. “The sooner those wanted individuals are in custody, the sooner we
can stop posting their pictures. Believe us – getting them into custody and off
of our pages and streets makes us very happy.”
Castro has created dozens of portraits over the
years, often memorializing officers killed in the line of duty. A group of 15
police officers in Philadelphia’s 18th district asked Castro if he could paint
a picture of Godwin.
When Casro finished the beautiful piece of art, the
officers pooled together funds to make sure Godwin’s 9 children and 14
grandchildren would each get a print, free of charge.
“At 74 years old, his life was taken during a
single act of senseless violence,” Castro said in a Facebook page
created to showcase his artwork. “He was a peaceful
man, who enjoyed fishing and helping his community in Cleveland.”
Debbie Godwin, the victim’s daughter, told Cleveland.com her father had retired after years
as foundry worker. He frequently fished in Lake Erie and collected aluminum
cans as “just something to do.”
She said her father was “a great man, a sweet man.”
“All my life, all I’ve ever known for
my dad to be a provider,” she
said.
© 2017 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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