Vancouver man stabbed to death outside Starbucks in broad daylight

On Sunday evening, a man was stabbed to death outside the Starbucks on West Pender and Granville in downtown Vancouver. Paul Stanley Schmidt, 37, died in front of his wife and daughter, as they and other bystanders looked on, horrified.

The killer, 32-year-old Inderdeep Singh Gosal, was promptly arrested and has been charged with second degree murder.



According to the Vancouver Police Department, an altercation broke out between Schmidt and Gosal around 5:40 pm, which culminated in the latter stabbing the former multiple times. 

Schmidt collapsed outside the front door in a pool of blood, as most of those around him remained frozen in shock. When first responders arrived on scene, Schmidt was rushed to hospital, however he succumbed to his injuries.int

Police have not yet established a motive, and investigators have found no evidence that the two men knew each other.
 

"We believe this homicide was witnessed by dozens of bystanders, and there may be people with information who have not yet come forward," said Sergeant Steve Addison.

He called on members of the public who witnessed the lead up to the stabbing to contact police. 

In an interview with the CBC, Schmidt's mother, Kathy, called the murder "senseless." She explained that Schmidt and his three-and-a-half-year-old daughter had picked up his wife from work, and decided to get drinks from Starbucks. While she went in, Schmidt waited outside with their toddler.

"I'm still not sure what happened," Kathy said, "but when his wife came out, the person was in Paul's face. The guy said to [Paul's wife], 'you better grab your kid'."

Kathy stated that while Schmidt's wife and their child were not physically injured, the attack left them "devastated," as he was a great husband and father.

A GoFundMe has been set up to support Schmidt's family.

Schmidt's murder marks the sixth homicide in Vancouver so far this year, and many residents have called on Mayor Ken Sim to do more to solve the crisis.