A suspect has been charged with murder following a stabbing outside a downtown Starbucks Sunday evening. Vancouver Police are seeking additional witnesses to the crime.
“We believe this homicide was witnessed by dozens of bystanders, and there may be people with information who have not yet come forward,” says Sergeant Steve Addison. “We particularly want to hear from anyone who was present in the moments before the stabbing, or anyone who has cell-phone video of the incident.”
The fatal stabbing occurred around 5:40 p.m. on Sunday, following a brief altercation between two men outside the Starbucks at West Pender and Granville Street. A VPD constable patrolling in the area was flagged down moments after the stabbing, and arrested the suspect at the crime scene. Additional VPD officers attempted to save the victim’s life by performing first aid, however he succumbed to his injuries after being rushed to hospital.
Paul Stanley Schmidt, 37, has now been identified as the victim. He is Vancouver’s sixth homicide victim of 2023. Inderdeep Singh Gosal, 32, has been charged with second-degree murder. Investigators do not believe the victim and suspect knew each other, however the circumstances that led up to the fatal stabbing remain under investigation.
Anyone with information who has not yet spoken to police is asked to contact VPD’s Major Crime Section at 604-717-2500.
