The man infamously known as the “Facebook Killer” is dead. Authorities say that Steve Stephens fatally shot himself after a brief pursuit with police in Pennsylvania. However, it is emerging that a group of employees at McDonald’s may have played a central role in the entire saga. Authorities say that before the chase, Steve Stephens stopped at a McDonald’s drive-thru where it is reported he ordered large fries and 20 chicken McNuggets for $5.35.
A female employee working at the food joint then recognized Stephens. Restaurant manager, Henry Sayers, told the New York Times that the female employee had to confirm with colleagues that indeed it was the “Facebook Killer”. Once the employees were sure it was Stephens, they took the money and just waited for the fugitive to move to the next window. They called the police straightaway. It is emerging that Stephens appeared to be in a hurry and even attempts by McDonald’s employees to try and stall him didn’t work.
According to DuCharme, owner of that McDonald’s franchise, employees at the drive through delayed Stephen’s fries order in a bid to stall him before law enforcement could arrive. However, he didn’t want to wait any longer. Restaurant manager Sayers said that Stephen grabbed the nuggets and just fled. However, it is reported that he drove at normal speed. Steve Stephen was wanted for murder after he had posted a Facebook video where he shot and killed a man on Sunday. A spokesman for McDonald’s applauded the employees for the role they played in taking down the killer saying that they did well to recognize the suspect and call the police just in time before he got too far away. McDonald’s also went on to send condolences and messages of support to the victim of the killer and his family.
Police say that they reacted quickly to the call and were already on Stephen’s trail as soon as he entered Buffalo Road where it is reported that he shot and killed himself. The chase was not that intense though. Pennsylvania police said that it did not exceed 50 mph and in fact, the officers trailing him repeatedly tried to make Stephens pull over to no avail. However, a state trooper finally managed to bring the killer to a stop in what authorities said was a PIT maneuver. The move is designed to force a fleeing vehicle to suddenly turn and in the process, the driver loses control and eventually it stops.
A statement by the Pennsylvania police said that an officer then approached the car before Stephens shot and killed himself. It was the end of the road for the “Facebook Killer” who on Sunday posted a number of disturbing videos on Facebook including the one where he killed 74-year old Robert Godwin who had just left an Easter dinner with his family. Facebook has since taken out all the posted videos and Stephen’s account was disabled a few hours after the disturbing videos were posted.
