Small memorial set up for Vancouver stabbing victim outside Starbucks

A small memorial has been set up outside a Starbucks in downtown Vancouver where a 37-year-old man was fatally stabbed in front of his wife and daughter Sunday.

A sign taped to a tree on West Pender Street reads, “RIP Paul Schmidt,” alongside two bunches of flowers.

According to the Vancouver Police Department, Schmidt was stabbed after a fight broke out inside the coffee shop on the corner of Granville and Pender streets.

“What we know is there were two men who got into a verbal altercation and then a physical altercation and resulted in one of the men being stabbed,” said VPD spokesperson Sgt. Steve Addison.

Police say Schmidt is the father of a young child. Both his daughter and wife were at the coffee shop at the time of the attack.

“Obviously extremely traumatic for everybody involved, for the victim’s family, the victim’s friends, for bystanders, for staff at the Starbucks, for the first responders,” Addison said.

He added that an officer on patrol was on scene within seconds of the stabbing, and a suspect was arrested.

Officers attempted life saving efforts for several minutes before Schmidt was taken to hospital where he later died, according to Addison.

32-year-old Inderdeep Singh Gosal is charged with second–degree murder, and police believe the attack was random.

“At this point we believe these were strangers, they did not know each other and had no prior interaction before the interaction occurred on the patio here of the Starbucks,” Addison said.

B.C.’s public safety minister  called the attack “horrific.”

“I don't think there are words that can describe just how terrible what happened,” Mike Farnworth said Tuesday morning.

When asked about Schmidt's alleged attacker he responded, “If they’re found guilty I hope they’re put away for a long time.”