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.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.