Facebook says a US man suspected of shooting dead another man in Cleveland posted a video of the killing on Facebook, but did not broadcast it live.
In a statement late on Sunday, Facebook said the suspect 37-year-old Steve Stephens, did go live at one point during the day, but not during the killing.
Police earlier said that Stephens had broadcast it on Facebook Live.
Cleveland police are searching for Steve Stephens, the suspect who police said filmed as he walked up to an elderly man on Easter Sunday and fatally shot him, Cleveland Police Chief Calvin Williams said.
The victim was identified as Robert Goodwin Sr, a 74-year-old reportedly unknown to Stephens.
In the video, which appears shaky, Stephens gets out of his car and appears to randomly target Godwin, who was holding a shopping bag. Stephens says the name of a woman, whom Godwin does not seem to recognise.
“She’s the reason that this is about to happen to you,” Stephens says before pointing a gun at him. Godwin can be seen shielding his face with the shopping bag.
“From what we can tell now, it’s just a random person that he picked out. We don’t know why,” Williams told the media.
Speaking to the media, Godwin’s grieving relatives remembered their loved one as “a good man” who would “give you the shirt off his back”.
In the video, Stephens claimed to have killed more than a dozen other people and pledged to “keep killing until they catch me”.
Williams said police have not verified any other shootings or deaths.
The chief also said they’ve been talking with family and friends of Stephens, who is employed at Beech Brook, a youth behavioural health agency near Cleveland.
Authorities said Stephens posted the video on the social media network. It was up for about three hours before it was removed. Stephens’ Facebook page also has been removed.
"This is a horrific crime and we do not allow this kind of content on Facebook," said a spokesperson for Facebook.
