Facebook has responded to reports that a Cleveland man, 37-year-old Steve Stephens, shot and killed an elderly man while broadcasting on the social media’s live platform.
“This is a horrific crime and we do not allow this kind of content on Facebook,” Facebook said in a statement issued to CNN. “We work hard to keep a safe environment on Facebook, and are in touch with law enforcement in emergencies when there are direct threats to physical safety.”
Facebook statement on Cleveland shooting video: "This is a horrific crime and we do not allow this kind of content" https://t.co/G8mpL2QxfI
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) April 16, 2017
It was not immediately clear what steps the global arbiter of "fake news" would take to prevent such events from recurring.
Meanwhile, Cleveland police are still searching for Steve Stephens, who according to a live Facebook video was seen killing a 74-year-old man. On Sunday night, Cleveland police identified the victim as Robert Godwin Sr. and urged Stephens to turn himself in.
The Facebook video of the shooting remained on the platform for nearly three hours before it was removed, according to Cleveland.com. Stephens’ personal profile has also been deactivated but not before several copies of the original video have been shared on Facebook and Twitter.
Stephens claimed in his broadcast that he killed several other people, but police have only confirmed one victim. The full report of this heinous crime can be found here.