Canadian man stabbed to death after intervening in an argument about vaping near his daughter

A 37-year-old father was stabbed to death outside a Starbucks in downtown Vancouver, casting a shadow over this usually bustling neighbourhood.

On Wednesday, passersby stopped to pay tribute to Paul Stanley Schmidt outside the coffee shop with a temporary memorial made of flowers, pictures, and notes.

According to the police, Schmidt was stabbed after a brief argument around 5:40 p.m. on Sunday.

Schmidt's mother said that she was told the dispute began when her son asked another man not to vape near his toddler daughter.

The suspect, Inderdeep Singh Gosal, was later arrested at the scene after being pointed out by a bystander to a patrolling officer.

The 32-year-old man has been charged with second-degree murder and will appear in court on April 11th in Vancouver Provincial Court.

A chilling video of the killing was shared on social media.

Guilherme Gomes, the manager of Sciue Italian Bakery Caffe nearby, said that many onlookers witnessed the stabbing, and customers appeared to be shocked.

"The atmosphere was everyone being scared because it was so close to here, and it could happen anytime here," he said. "It's just scary. How can somebody do this?"

The police said that they don't believe that Schmidt and the suspect knew each other, and the details surrounding the stabbing are still being investigated.

Officials attempted to save Schmidt, but he died from his injuries after being taken to the hospital.

A GoFundMe page specifically for Schmidt's family stated that he left behind an unmarried partner and a toddler. The fundraiser was started by Lorraine Lowe, executive director of the Vancouver Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden, who knows Schmidt's partner's cousin.

Lowe wrote on the fundraising page that the tragedy has impacted the entire community, causing waves of sadness and pain, and that it's heartbreaking for his family to have to witness everything in fear.

Lowe said in an interview that she made a mistake by opening the viral video before realizing she knew the cousin of the victim's unmarried partner.

"I couldn't sleep that night. I wanted to find a way to help this family," she said.

"The thing that really broke my heart was seeing that little girl's face," she said, referring to a photo of Schmidt's daughter.

Schmidt's Facebook page is full of pictures of him with his young daughter.

Lowe added that crime has been rampant in parts of downtown Vancouver in recent years.

"It started in Chinatown, and now I see it happening in Gastown, I see it happening in other parts of downtown," she said. "We need to make changes."

On Wednesday, Starbucks at the corner of Granville and Pender streets reopened after employees were seen having a meeting inside.