Steve Stephens, or the Facebook Shooter, has been a hot topic of discussion- but for horrible reasons. Steve, 37, is accused of killing a pensioner on Sunday afternoon and posting the gruesome video on Facebook. In the video, the suspect bragged of killing multiple other victims, however police have not linked him to any other crimes.
It is perceived that a break up and coupled with heavy losses in gambling is what sparked Stephens' rage. Stephens had no criminal record and was heavily involved with working with youth throughout his life. There was a three day manhunt after the crime was committed that spanned across the country.
Facebook released a statement, saying that they never intend for Facebook Live to be used for inappropriate purposes, and that they tried to respond to the incident as soon as they were made aware of it. They released an exact time line of when reports starting coming in and when the videos were finally removed, but stated that they could always do better.
Facebook Live has seen some controversy lately, as there has been multiple high profile cases that were originally broadcasted live. In January, three men were arrested in Sweden on suspicion of raping a woman and broadcasting it on Facebook. Terrorists, political protesters, and other criminals seeking attention have long carried out public crimes to further their agenda. Facebook live has provided another medium to do so.
After the 3 day man hunt, police were able to locate Stephens location. After a short pursuit, Stephens committed suicide. Some of my peers have seen the video and warned me not to look at it. Even though Facebook has removed the video, it still circulates online.
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