Friday 20 / December / 2024
Vancouver: The mother of the man who was stabbed to death by an Indian-origin man outside the Vancouver Starbucks, called the fatal stabbing "senseless," according to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
Paul Schmidt, 37, was killed outside a Vancouver Starbucks at the corner of Granville and West Pender streets around 5.40 pm on Sunday following a "brief altercation" while he was there with his wife and toddler daughter. Inderdeep Singh Gosal (32) has been charged with second-degree murder, according to CBC.
Paul Schmidt's mother Kathy said what's needed now is justice for her son. "Just one word. Senseless," Kathy said on the phone from Kelowna, where she lives and Paul grew up.
"Senseless that an altercation ended up in a murder. Ended up with my son losing his life," she added.
While talking with CBC over the phone, Kathy said the fatal incident occurred when Paul was picking up his wife from work with their three-and-a-half-year-old daughter in tow.
Kathy said Paul's wife went into the coffee shop to buy drinks. He stayed outside holding their daughter.
Police say they are investigating the killing, including what led up to it, as Paul's loved ones grieve a man who they say lived for his family.
"Investigators do not believe the victim and suspect knew each other," read a police statement.
Vancouver police spokesperson Sgt. Steve Addison said police are appealing for more witnesses and video to help them determine a motive in the killing, according to Global News.
"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 ... that's something that may take some time for us to fully understand," he said.
"We believe there are people likely nearby, people who witnessed it, people who were in the area who can help us to understand those questions," he added.
Giving more details about the incident, Alex Bodger, an eyewitness, said it was very traumatising to see and hear, reported Global News.
"It's not something you think you would see walking down the street in Vancouver on a Sunday," he said.
Bodger said the suspect went back into the Starbucks shop after the stabbing and all he could hear was people screaming.
"Every time I think about the situation I get this feeling in my chest which is pure fear," he added.
Police don't believe the two men knew each other, and Addison said the circumstances leading to the stabbing remain under investigation.
He added that a video of the incident is circulating on social media, and appealed to the public not to share it further, according to Global News.
"It's a graphic video. We are encouraging people not to share that video. We are encouraging people, if you've got video, if you are a bystander, if you are a witness, please come forward and speak to our investigators, provide it to our investigators," he said.
"Please don't share it on social media. What you have could be important evidence in this very serious case," he added.
