The Facebook victim was a granddad walking home after Easter meal
(CNN)He was walking home from an Easter meal with his family when the stranger walked up to Robert Godwin Sr.
The two talk briefly before the stranger pulls out a gun and fires.
Now, police are desperately hunting for the man who killed Godwin and uploaded the video on Facebook, while Godwin’s friends and family are trying to make sense of the senseless death of the 74-year-old man.
“This man right here was a good man. I hate he’s gone … I don’t know what I’m going to do. … It’s not real,” Godwin’s son told CNN affiliate WOIO.
The son told the Cleveland Plain Dealer his father was a retired foundry worker who had nine children and 14 grandchildren. He enjoyed fishing and often was seen walking around with a plastic bag in his hand as he collected aluminum cans he saw on the ground.
That’s what he was doing Sunday in Cleveland’s Glenville neighborhood, a shopping bag in his hand. He had just finished an Easter meal.
He hugged my wife and me and said ‘I’ll see you guys next time,'” Godwin Jr. recounted. “I said ‘OK, enjoy your Easter.'”
A chat, then a shot
In the video, apparently recorded by the suspect, Steve Stephens, a person is getting out of a car in a residential area and says, “Here’s somebody I’m about to kill. I’m about to kill this guy right here. An old dude.”
The person walks up, stops Godwin on the sidewalk and talks to him. Then the video shows a gun pointed at Godwin’s head. The gun is fired. Godwin recoils and falls to the ground.
Police don’t believe Godwin and Stephens knew each other.
The video was later removed by Facebook, but it was still being widely shared online early Monday.
Manhunt widens for Cleveland murder suspect 02:01
Ryan Godwin, who said he’s a grandson of Godwin’s, had asked people to stop sharing it.
“Please please please stop retweeting that video and report anyone who has posted it! That is my grandfather show some respect,” Ryan Godwin wrote on Twitter Sunday afternoon.
Please please please stop retweeting that video and report anyone who has posted it! That is my grandfather show some respect #Cleveland
Police have launched a manhunt for Stephens, calling him armed and dangerous. They believe he’s left Ohio and may be in Pennsylvania, New York, Indiana or Michigan. An aggravated murder warrant has been issued for him.
Stephens’ mother said her son was randomly shooting people because he was angry at a girlfriend. Police have not talked about a possible motive behind the shooting of Godwin.
While the manhunt goes on, Godwin’s family is just starting the grieving process.
“It’s not real. (My father) was a good guy. He would give you the shirt off his back,” Robert Godwin Jr. told WOIO. “Feels like my heart is gonna stop.”
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Evil at its best,evil within and out..smh
This is so sad. Rest in peace si. I hope that animal who killed you is slaughtered and rots in hell.
Rest in peace Sir Goodwin, sincerest condolences to his family n frenz.We hope justice will prevail n the healing can begin.
Mi seh mi hate ppl like dah man yah essi why kill ppl turn di gun pan yuh bloodclaat self an end it…not a bloodclaat nuh wrong wid him…. him sane by tonight dem fi kill dat.
This is so sad, i hope when the police then find him they kill him instant!!!
He was on insta Live this morning. He said, “who’s next”. People
reported the page, Insta removed it. Then of course fake copy cat pages kept popping up and Insta removed them also. My eyes popped when he came on theshaderoom asking for prayers. I wasnt sure if it was a hoax but when I went on the page it had 115K followers and literally 2 minutes after IG removed that page. People are claiming that they heard on police scanners that other bodies were found but the police won’t confirm it yet.
What a wicked act! Look how old and helpless the man is.RIP pops.
I feel his to the core
This pig needs to be caught and slaughtered like the phucking grunt he is …. Bomboclaat waste bwoy
Him want prayer fi wah a must prayer fi di condemned ole weh him come outta