A Canadian man was allegedly stabbed to death after he reportedly asked another man not to vape near his 3-year-old daughter. Paul Stanley Schmidt, 37, was at a Starbucks Sunday in Vancouver, British Columbia, when Inderdeep Singh Gosal, 32, allegedly attacked him. Schmidt was waiting on the store's patio while his fiancée, Ashley Umali, was inside ordering drinks.
The confrontation took place on a downtown patio amid several customers around 5:30 p.m., the New York Post reported. Witnesses filmed what happened, and the video has made its way around social media. It shows an injured Schmidt grabbing his side and falling to the ground. The tragedy unfolded in front of Schmidt's wife and daughter, who apparently both saw him die.
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Schmidt was protecting his daughter.
According to Kathy Schmidt, the victim's mother, he asked Gosal not to vape in front of his young daughter, Erica. Per the Post, Kathy Schmidt told the Vancouver Sun she was both angry and sad. Her daughter and granddaughter watched him being viciously attacked.
She doesn't understand Gosal's thinking or why he was armed. "He had a knife. I don't carry a knife into a coffee shop, do you?" she said.
Why didn't anyone step in to help?
Kathy Schmidt is frustrated and angry that witnesses didn't try to save her son or contact police, she told Vancouver CityNews.
"I was incredibly surprised that nobody from inside the Starbucks called for help, nobody outside called for help. It wasn't until basically, he was in dire straits that somebody flagged down an officer on the sidewalk," Schmidt told the news outlet.
Kathy Schmidt questioned the motives of those who watched the incident unfold but did nothing.
"What kind of world are we living in when you take your family to Starbucks in the middle of the afternoon and you're attacked and killed, with many people standing around videotaping and watching?" she asked CityNews.
Schmidt's family is imploring the public for help.
Jessica Fox Fotto posted a plea on Facebook asking any witnesses to come forward with information on the savage attack that took her stepbrother. She explained her post might not be coherent because of the grief she and her family are experiencing. She is sickened that someone filmed the attack and posted it on social media instead of calling the police. Fotto begged people to ignore the video clip.
"You might think you witnessed something small but it could keep this murderer behind bars and help out family understand what the hell happened. Please also seek help, anyone connect this is traumatized. Do not watch the video online. we just need justice and compassion right now," she wrote.
Police stated they have significant evidence in the case.
Police representative Sgt. Steve Addison told the Vancouver Sun police were flagged down around 5:40 p.m. because of an altercation. Investigators are gathering additional evidence to try to determine a motive. Gosal was reportedly arrested without incident.
"There's a significant amount of evidence to tell us what happened. What we are focusing on now is why did this happen. What are the events that transpired in the moments leading up to this very serious crime," Addison told the news outlet via the Post.
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Friends remember Schmidt as a family man.
The Post reported that Schmidt worked at Jiffy Moving in Burnaby for five years and was well-liked among coworkers. "Paul was a great guy and a hard worker," Sean Collings, the company's operations manager, told the Vancouver Sun. "He was a devoted husband and father." He told the news outlet that the job was physically demanding and that Schmidt was the single provider for his home.
Kathy Schmidt told CityNews the death of her son is a heartache. "It's tragic now that they don't have a spouse and a dad. I lost my son. It's just tragic and incredibly sad. We want to see justice served," Kathy said, adding Paul's "entire life was his daughter and spending time with her."
"He was an artist, he was an outdoorsman, he enjoyed hiking and walking and fishing and jogging. He loved to be outdoors and loved to take his daughter to the park."
The community is coming together to support the loved ones left behind.
Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Garden Society of Vancouver created a GoFundMe page in Schmidt's honor. The fundraiser has donations of more than $99,000 US thus far.
"Thank you all so much for the outpouring of love and support. Ashley and the family are extremely grateful and touched. She has informed me that most of the funds will be be for daughter in trust," a post on the fundraiser reads.
Gosal faces second-degree murder changes. Kathy Schmidt told the Post she hoped charges would be upped to first-degree murder, requiring proof of premeditation.
