Murder charge laid after shocking stabbing outside downtown Vancouver Starbucks

One man is dead and another has been charged with second-degree murder following a shocking, public homicide in downtown Vancouver on Sunday night.

The Vancouver Police Department says 37-year-old Paul Stanley Schmidt, who grew up in Kelowna, was stabbed to death outside the Starbucks at West Pender and Granville streets around 5:40 pm.

A VPD constable patrolling the area was quickly flagged down moments after the stabbing and was able to arrest 32-year-old Inderdeep Singh Gosal at the scene.

Other officers attempted to save Schmidt’s life with first aid measures, but he unfortunately succumbed to his injuries.

A video taken of the incident, which NowMedia has seen but chosen not to publish or share, shows a gruesome scene in the immediate aftermath of the stabbing, with Singh standing casually near Schmidt’s body.

#VPDNews A suspect has been charged with murder following a stabbing outside a downtown Starbucks Sunday evening, and Vancouver Police are seeking additional witnesses to the crime.

Media Release: https://t.co/jInQIq9PnB pic.twitter.com/AcLedeuA6L

— Vancouver Police (@VancouverPD) March 27, 2023

Police do not believe Singh and Schmidt knew each other, but investigators continue to probe the circumstances that led up to the fatal stabbing.

“We believe this homicide was witnessed by dozens of bystanders, and there may be people with information who have not yet come forward,” says Sgt. 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.”

Schmidt is Vancouver’s sixth homicide victim of 2023.