Indian-Origin Man Stabs Canadian National To Death Outside Starbucks

An Indian-origin man stabbed a 37-year man outside Canada's Vancouver Starbucks cafe and was charged with second-degree murder, Global News reported citing local police.

The suspect, 32-year-old Inderdeep Singh Gosal, was arrested at the scene.

Paul Stanley Schmidt, 37, was stabbed outside the cafe at the corner of Granville and West Pender streets around 5:40 pm on Sunday following a "brief altercation," according to police. After the incident, he was taken to the hospital where he took his last breath.

Schmidt's mother, Kathy, said he was at Starbucks with his wife and his young daughter, according to Global News.

"Paul lived for his wife and his daughter... that was his whole life," Kathy said over the phone, adding, "This man has ruined so many lives."

Vancouver police spokesperson Sgt. Steve Addison said police are appealing for more witnesses and video to help them determine a motive in the killing.

"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 to the incident, 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.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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