Stephens fled and Pennsylvania State Police troopers
gave chase. One officer performed a "PIT" maneuver, a strategic way
of ramming a car to disable it.
"As the vehicle was spinning out of control from
the PIT maneuver, Stephens pulled a pistol and shot himself in the head,"
police said.
For two days, authorities across the country scrambled
to find Stephens, the man wanted for the death of Robert Godwin, a self-taught
mechanic and grandfather of 14.
"We're grateful that this has ended,"
Cleveland Police Chief Calvin Williams said. "We would prefer that it had
not ended this way because there are a lot of questions, I'm sure, that not
only the family, but the city in general would have had for Steve."
Godwin's daughter, Brenda Haymon, learned of Stephens'
death as she was planning funeral arrangements for her father.
"All I can say is that I wish he had gone down in
a hail of 100 bullets," Haymon said. "I wish it had gone down like
that instead of him shooting himself."
Godwin, 74, was shot Sunday while walking home from an
Easter meal with his children in Cleveland. Stephens later posted video of the
elderly man's death on Facebook. A funeral is scheduled for Saturday, Haymon
told CNN.
'I
think that's the guy'
Thomas DuCharme Jr., the franchise owner, said
Stephens ordered chicken nuggets and fries at the McDonald's drive-thru window
in Harborcreek Township, and employees recognized him and called the police.
The employee said " 'I think that's the guy. Can
you double check I'm right?' " DuCharme said. "When I saw him, I knew
it was him. It fits the profile. He didn't look that different than the picture
but his beard was trimmed down."
Stephens was two cars behind in the drive-thru lane to
pick up food, and by this time, the police were on their way, DuCharme said.
Stephens took his nuggets, but employees told him he
had to wait for the fries. They were trying to give police time to arrive,
DuCharme said. But Stephens didn't wait and he drove away, the owner said.
DuCharme said Stephens looked suspicious.
"I've been doing this for 34 years. [Stephens]
didn't want his money, he wanted the nuggets and to leave," he said.
The
last thing he said 'was my name'
On Tuesday, two of Godwin's daughters, Debbie Godwin
and Tonya Godwin-Baines, met with Joy Lane, the woman who identified herself as
Stephens' former girlfriend, CNN affiliate WJW reported.
The women, who didn't know each other, hugged, prayed
and cried.
"The hashtags Joy Lane, Joy Lane massacre -- I
don't even know who Joy Lane is anymore, or how to pick up all the pieces of my
world at this moment," Lane said, the station reported. "I've got a
lot of negative comments. Some even said he should have killed me."
WJW said Lane told Godwin's daughters: "I feel
bad ... The last thing that he would have said was my name and didn't know me
or why he was saying it. And that's been difficult."
She and Stephens had dated for a while, Lane said.
They last talked on Saturday night. Stephens told Lane he had quit his job and
was moving out of state, she said.
Lane told WJW she tried to reach Stephens after the
video surfaced on Facebook but he didn't answer his phone.
Earlier in the week, Lane told multiple news agencies
she was "overwhelmed" by the tragedy.
"Steve really is a nice guy. ... He is generous
with everyone he knows. He was kind and loving to me and my children," she
told CBS News.
Cleveland police said earlier this week that they had
spoken to Lane, and she was safe and cooperating with the investigation. Lane's
neighbors told CNN that Stephens often stayed at her Twinsburg home with her
three young girls. One resident said Stephens was there recently, fixing the
home's garage.
Suspect
cited anger with his girlfriend
The police chief said Stephens apparently chose
Godwin, who was walking home, at random.
Stephens' mother, Maggie Green, said her son stopped
by her house Saturday and gave her a cryptic message.
"He said this (was) the last time I was going to
see him," Green said.
They spoke briefly again the next day, his mother
said. Before Green's phone died, Stephens told her he was "shooting
people" because he was "mad with his girlfriend," his mother
said, referring to Lane.
Later Sunday, Stephens uploaded a video to his
Facebook page showing a gun pointed at a man's head.
Stephens asked the victim to say Lane's name.
"She's the reason why this is about to happen to
you," Stephens said.
The gunman then fires the weapon. Godwin recoils and
falls to the ground.
Stephens claimed on Facebook that he had killed more
people, but police don't know of any other victims. Stephens had many traffic
violations but no criminal record, police said.
Zuckerberg:
'We have a lot of work'
The video Stephens posted of the slaying stayed online
for more than two hours before Facebook removed it, sparking widespread
criticism of the company.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg talked about Godwin's
death at the company's annual developers' conference, the F8.
"We have a lot of work, and we will keep doing
all we can to prevent tragedies like this from happening," Zuckerberg said
on stage. "Our hearts go out to the family and friends of Robert Godwin
Sr."
The
gunman's ties to Erie
Erie, about 100 miles northeast of Cleveland, may seem
like a random place for Stephens to go. But the gunman had been a regular at
Erie's Presque Isle Downs & Casino, Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Wayne
Kline said.
Authorities said a cell phone tower east of Erie
detected a signal from Stephens' cell phone at 4:30 p.m. Sunday. But Kline said
police did not know exactly where Stephens was until Tuesday.
Police are now investigating whether anyone in the
area helped Stephens while he was on the run, Kline said.
At this point, authorities don't believe Stephens had
any accomplices, State Police Maj. William Teper Jr. said.
Authorities were also uncertain how long Stephens was
in the area.
"He's been somewhere over the last couple days.
We just don't know where," Teper said.
Teper said police were searching Stephens' car and
it's contents.
Not
a 'representation' of gun owners
Stephens had a concealed weapons permit, according to
Cleveland Police spokeswoman Jennifer Ciaccia.
He often visited an Ohio gun store and shooting range,
where he would buy products, chit chat and look at inventory, said Leah
Frederick, co-owner of Sherwin Shooting Sports in Eastlake, 19 miles northeast
of Cleveland.
"This is absolutely horrific and horrible. This
is not a representation of the common person that owns firearms," she told
CNN. This is someone who's obviously gone to the bad side."
Frederick said Stephens last came in the store in
July.
"We are so saddened for this poor family,"
Frederick said, referring to the Godwins. "This poor man. It's deeply
affected us. What a beautiful family they have. To know they are missing their
father. It's a horrible thing."
Victim's
family offered forgiveness
Through their tears, several of Godwin's children said
they held no animosity toward Stephens.
"Each one of us forgives the killer, the
murderer," Godwin-Baines said Monday.
Godwin taught his children the value of hard work, how
to love God and how to forgive, his children said.
"They don't make men like him anymore," said
his daughter Debbie Godwin. "He was definitely one in a million."
We
are 'sorry' for what happened
Stephens' mother told CNN affiliate WJW that Godwin's
family has been on her mind.
"We have wanted to reach out to the family the
last couple of days," Green said. "I wanted them to know how sorry we
are for what happened."
Green and her family said they wanted to thank
Godwin's family for forgiving her son.
"That means so much," Green said.
Gunman
had worked with children
"We are shocked and horrified like everyone
else," said Nancy Kortemeyer. "To think that one of our employees
could do this is awful."
She said Stephens was a vocational specialist who
worked with youth and young adults. He had previously worked as a youth mentor,
she said.
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