(USATODAY)Steve Stephens, the suspect who posted video on Facebook of a brutal killing in Cleveland, fatally shot himself Tuesday in Pennsyl...
"Steve Stephens was spotted this morning by PSP members in Erie County," Pennsylvania State Police tweeted. "After a brief pursuit, Stephens shot and killed himself."
Cleveland Police Chief Calvin Williams said earlier Tuesday authorities had received more than 400 tips in the hunt for Stephens since police say he fatally shot Robert Godwin, 74, on Easter Sunday. Williams said the search was conducted nationwide, with tips coming in from as far away as Texas. Sightings had been reported in Pennsylvania.
"Thank you to the brave @PAStatePolice troopers for their vigilance in pursuing the Facebook killer," Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf tweeted. "Thankful no one in PA was hurt."
Stephens, 37, had been charged with aggravated murder in the shooting death of Robert Godwin on Sunday.
Godwin's family said Monday they forgave the alleged gunman.
"Each one of us forgives the killer, the murderer," Tonya Godwin-Baines, a daughter of the 74-year-old victim, told Cleveland TV station WJW on Monday. "We want to wrap our arms around him."
Cleveland police said Stephens posted horrifying video of the apparently random killing of the father of 10 and grandfather of 14. It was later removed.
A son, Robert Godwin Jr., said: "Steve, I forgive you ... I'm not happy (with) what you did but I forgive you."
The family pleaded with Stephens to turn himself in. "To the young man who murdered my daddy,” Godwin-Baines told the TV station, “I ask that you please surrender. I forgive you and love you, but most importantly, God loves you. God can heal your mind and save your soul.”
The family’s words came as authorities intensified their hunt for Stephens, expanding the search nationwide.
In addition, Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson had announced a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to the arrest of Stephens in the Easter Sunday shooting. The alleged shooter also claimed to have killed at least a dozen other people, although police said they have no evidence of it.
The claim came when detectives contacted Stephens on his cellphone shortly after the shooting but were unable to convince him to turn himself in. Williams, said officers and the FBI have searched dozens of possible locations for Stephens to no avail. No other victims have been found, Williams said, but he warned that Stephens should be considered armed and dangerous.
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