He Asked Somebody to Stop Vaping Near Toddler. The Man Stabbed Him

Paul Schmidt was killed outside a Starbucks location in Vancouver
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 29, 2023 6:45 PM CDT

A man stabbed to death by a stranger outside a Starbucks in Vancouver was "just trying to protect his daughter," his mother says. Kathy Schmidt says 37-year-old Paul Stanley Schmidt was stabbed after he asked a stranger to stop vaping next to his toddler daughter, the Vancouver Sun reports. She says the 3-year-old girl witnessed the killing, as did Schmidt's fiancee and numerous onlookers. The mother says Paul and the girl, who was in a stroller, were waiting outside the busy Starbucks while his fiancee, Ashley Umani, was inside getting drinks.

"Ashley's in shock, she watched the whole thing. She's so devastated," Kathy Schmidt says. Police say Inderdeep Singh Gosal, 32, was arrested at the scene and has been charged with second-degree murder, CTV reports. Police say there is no indication that Gosal and Schmidt knew each other. Authorities and family members are urging the public not to view or repost a graphic video of the murder that was shared online. "Someone took my brother’s life yesterday and another person filmed it (do NOT watch) instead of calling the police, and worse off, posted it on social media very clearly for views," a woman who said she was Schmidt's stepsister wrote on his Facebook page Monday. She called the footage "incredibly traumatizing."

Mayor Ken Sim said it was an "awful and tragic story to hear about" and repeated the request not to share images of the murder. "Our hearts go out to Mr Schmidt and his family," he tweeted. "Out of respect for them and their loss, please refrain from sharing graphic images or videos of the incident on social media." Sean Collings, operations manager of Jiffy Move, says Schmidt was a "great guy and a hard workers," as well as "a devoted husband and father." He says the murder has shaken the city's close-knit community of moving company workers. A fundraiser started by the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Garden Society has raised more than $100,000. (More Vancouver stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X