'A freeze response of shock': Expert weighs in on bystanders not stepping in during fatal Vancouver stabbing
After a man was fatally stabbed outside of a Vancouver Starbucks in front of dozens of witnesses, video of the attack is circulating on social media, raising questions about why nobody stepped in to help.
Paul Schmidt, 37, was stabbed in front of his fiancée and his three-year-old daughter after an argument with another man on Sunday. A GoFundMe set up to help his young family has now reached more than $100,000.
His mother said the argument started because Schmidt asked the man not to vape near his daughter.
Graphic video of the attack has been circulating online, showing bystanders watching and filming, but not stepping in to help. One man in particular is seen casually drinking his coffee moments after Schmidt was stabbed.
According to clinical counsellor Robert Grigore, it’s an understandable response.
“Most likely, this gentleman is in a freeze response of shock,” Grigore said. “His nervous system is overwhelmed, he's not quite processing what’s happening. He’s just doing auto-pilot.”
When it comes to witnessing traumatic and stressful incidents, Grigore said people have three natural responses, “fight, flight, and then freeze.”
He also raised concerns about members of the public viewing the raw video, with something so traumatic possibly leading to PTSD.
“You can’t not see it,” he said. “Just watching you could have nightmares, flashbacks, start to feel uneasy. You might be hyper vigilant, looking around when you’re walking on the street.”
The attack, meanwhile, is reigniting concerns that Vancouver is not safe. CTV News asked for comment from Mayor Ken Sim, who ran on a public safety platform in the fall election. We were directed to ABC Coun. Brian Montague, a former police officer.
“I’m saddened, I’m sickened,” Montague said in response to the attack. “There’s no reason for something this violent to be occurring, there’s just no rationale behind it. Even as a police officer for 28 years, I could never wrap my head around the senseless of violence that sometimes occurs.”
When asked about the sentiment of Vancouver being unsafe, he responded, “I think we’re doing better, there’s always room for improvement.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
U.S. paused bomb shipment to Israel to signal concerns over Rafah invasion, official says
The U.S. paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah against the wishes of the U.S.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.