The fraternity brothers of Cleveland murder suspect Steve Stephens told FOX 8’s Maia Belay Sunday night that they are shocked by the crime.
On Sunday, a video was posted to a Facebook account allegedly belonging to Stephens.
In the video, Stephens can be seen approaching an elderly black man on a sidewalk before killing him.
As men of Omega we gotta do better. Friendship has to be essential. In this case we failed, all of us.
— Luke Lawal Jr. (@lukelawal) April 17, 2017
He also mentioned Omega Psi Phi in one of his Facebook posts.
Stephens has reportedly claimed “to have committed multiple other homicides which are yet to be verified,” reports Cleveland Police. Stephens is considered armed and dangerous and civilians have been warned not to approach the man if spotted.
“We are all part of an organization, but I have to emphasize [Stephens’] organization has nothing to do with what has happened,” according to one of his fraternity brothers. “It’s no different than whether of not he were a member of NAACP or any other organization. What has happened and what we witnessed live through social media was the undoing of a man emotionally and that is not the rational response to disappointment, rejection, or even breakup.”
The frat brother went on to say, “There lies the problem that there is some need for mental health intervention.”
On the death of 74-year-old Robert Godwin, the men said, “We stand here in solidarity to suggest to Steve, if he can hear us, the sound of our voice, if he is by a television, please surrender because we care and we care that he gets the appropriate help he needs. But at this hour, what we care about most is this family who has lost a man, apparently a good man, for no good reason.”
