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Warning: This story contains graphic descriptions of violence.
A five-week trial has begun for a man accused of second-degree murder in the stabbing death of 37-year-old Paul Schmidt outside a Downtown Vancouver Starbucks in March 2023.
Inderdeep Singh Gosal, wearing a blue pullover and white collared shirt, pleaded not guilty in the judge-alone trial at B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver on Tuesday.
Crown prosecutor Karin Blok laid out her case, showing the court graphic CCTV footage of the incident.
Blok said the primary issue will be whether the Crown can prove beyond a reasonable doubt Gosal intended to cause bodily harm to Schmidt that he knew was likely to cause death and whether he was reckless as to whether death ensued.
On March 26, 2023, shortly after 5 p.m. PT, Blok said Gosal made his way on the Canada Line SkyTrain in Vancouver from Broadway–City Hall station to City Centre station downtown.
Gosal was wearing a grey sweatshirt and red pants as the trial began. Gosal walked onto the patio of the Starbucks at the southwest corner of Granville and Pender streets, according to Blok.
CCTV footage, which Blok indicated was from nearby Pacific Centre mall, shows Gosal sitting at a table to the east of the cafe’s main entrance.
Less than a minute later, Schmidt, wearing all black, walks out of the Starbucks pushing a stroller. He walks out of the fenced patio and out of the video frame.
Gosal appears to smoke on the patio. Blok said what happened next was a “verbal confrontation” between the two men. The footage does not include audio.
In the video, Gosal gestures and points at someone out of frame.
Schmidt walks back into the fenced patio and approaches Gosal.
Gosal had a knife in a pouch of his sweatshirt, Blok said.
In the footage, the two men begin to fight.
In the 25-second interaction, Gosal stabs Schmidt in the chest six times, according to Blok.
The footage does not clearly show the stabbing, but very suddenly, a large amount of blood appears on the ground. Schmidt falls to the pavement.
At first Gosal walks into the Starbucks, but he is eventually arrested and put face-down on the ground of the patio and police officers gather around.
The footage shows police officers move Gosal, who has been handcuffed, to the street near a police vehicle as bystanders gather; some bystanders take photos.
The Crown expects to call 11 witnesses, including civilians who saw the confrontation, police officers and the doctor who conducted the autopsy.
A gruesome video of the killing was shared on social media back in 2023.
Witness takes the stand
Crown called civilian Michael Allan to testify Tuesday afternoon.
Allan told the court he was inside the Starbucks working on a school project on his laptop when the incident unfolded.
He heard “grunts” and “exertion” from the cafe’s northern entrance.
He described seeing two men “grappling,” which he further explained as them pushing and pulling each other’s upper bodies.
“There was a lot of frantic movement,” Allan said.
He eventually saw a man he identified as “Dark Clothes,” indicating Schmidt, fall out of his view.
Inside the cafe, he heard screams and those sitting at tables stood up and rushed away from the doors.
He also heard “Red Pants,” indicating Gosal, yell vulgar language in the direction of “Dark Clothes.”
Allan said that several days later he watched a video of the incident recorded from outside the Starbucks but added his testimony came from his own recollection.
Allan said he gave a witness statement to police immediately after the incident and said he felt disturbed and nervous after what he had seen.
The trial continues Wednesday.
