Facebook sued by family of 74-year-old fatal shooting video victim
The family of a 74-year-old Cleveland man whose shooting death was recorded and shared on Facebook is suing the social media company for failing to notify authorities about threats posted by the gunman.
The wrongful death lawsuit filed over the killing of Robert Godwin Sr last April accuses Facebook of negligence because it has extensive data-mining capabilities, but did not catch and report the gunman's threats of violence before the shooting.
Family of Robert Godwin Sr. files lawsuit against Facebook https://t.co/rYTRFwGKPa pic.twitter.com/fcdmBBQXUc
— WKYC 3News (@wkyc) January 30, 2018
A lawyer for Facebook did not address those specific allegations, but expressed sympathy for Mr Godwin's family and noted that content violating Facebook's policies is removed when users report it.
Gunman Steve Stephens shared video of shooting Mr Godwin along a Cleveland street. The 37-year-old killed himself two days later after a police chase in Erie, Pennsylvania.
In April last year Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg addressd the issue during a speech.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg on FB murder: “Our hearts go out to the family and friends of Robert Godwin, Sr.” https://t.co/eZz9ZKuHpu pic.twitter.com/lZxZVL2ytD
— CNN (@CNN) April 18, 2017
