Facebook is reviewing its “reporting flows” after a man posted a series of videos including one that showed him shooting and killing an elderly man to the social network on Sunday.
First, the man posted a video in which he outlined his plans to commit a murder; then he posted another video that showed him shooting and killing an elderly man; before he then confessed to the murder in a Facebook Live video, according to the social network.
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Police launch manhunt across U.S. for suspect in murder posted to Facebook -
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Cleveland police urge public to be careful, vigilant following murder
A U.S.-wide manhunt is in progress for Cleveland’s Steve Stephens after he broadcast a killing on Facebook Live, the Cleveland Police Department said.
The Cleveland police said Stephen’s claims of having committed other murders have “not been verified.”
The killing was a “horrific crime — one that has no place on Facebook, and goes against our policies and everything we stand for,” Justin Osofsky, Facebook’s VP of global operations, said in a statement on Monday.
READ MORE: Nationwide manhunt for suspect in Cleveland Facebook video murder
Facebook didn’t receive a report about the first video and only learned of the clip that showed the shooting one hour and 45 minutes after it was published, Osofsky added.
“We received reports about the third video, containing the man’s live confession, only after it had ended,” he said.
Facebook disabled the suspect’s account within 23 minutes of learning about the killing video, and “two hours after receiving a report of any kind.”
“But we need to do better,” Osofsky said.
The company is looking into a number of ways that can “help us make sure Facebook is a safe environment.”
It is, for instance, using artificial intelligence, which helps the company to “prevent the videos from being reshared in their entirety.”
Facebook is also looking to speed up its review process, even as “thousands of people around the world review the millions of items that are reported to us every week in more than 40 languages.”
WATCH: Man weeps, says he had just seen 74-year-old Facebook Live murder victim
“We prioritize reports with serious safety implications for our community, and are working on making that review process go even faster.”
The victim in the murder was 74-year-old Robert Godwin Sr.
Stephens is described as a 6’1″ man weighing 244 pounds, who is bald with a full beard. He was also described wearing a dark blue and grey or black, striped polo shirt.
READ MORE: 4 charged with hate crimes in Facebook Live beating of man with ‘mental health challenges’
Police said he may be outside Ohio and they’re warning residents of Pennsylvania, Indiana, New York and Michigan to be “on alert.”
Stephens is believed to be driving a white Ford. He is also believed to be armed and dangerous.
Police are warning people not to approach the suspect.
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