The mother of a former Kelowna man who was fatally stabbed Sunday evening at a Vancouver Starbucks says her family is still reeling.
Kathy Schmidt says her son Paul moved to Vancouver from Kelowna a few years back and he had been working and living in the city with his wife Ashley and their young daughter.
Their lives changed forever when Paul was fatally stabbed after a confrontation with a man over vaping near his daughter.
"Paul asked him not to vape near the stroller," says Paul's mom Kathy Schmidt.
From there, the situation escalated quickly and ended with Paul bleeding to death on the sidewalk in front of the coffee shop while his wife and daughter looked on. The stabbing and Paul's death was captured on video and watched by millions of people on social media.
"I'm still trying to get my head around what happened, we are taking things minute by minute," Kathy says.
She adds the family is planning a memorial service for her son next week in Vancouver.
"Paul's friends, co-workers, most family and Ashley's family are in Vancouver. We are currently arranging a venue in Vancouver," she said.
A GoFundMe has been started to help the family cope financially and has already raised more than $160,000 for the family. The bulk of the funds will be used to set up a trust fund for Paul's daughter.
The organizer of the fundraiser says Ashley and the rest of the family are "extremely grateful and touched."
"We are getting close to the target and it would be so amazing if we could reach our goal of $200K!! The road ahead will be very difficult and all your support will make the journey for Ashley and her daughter less challenging. Thank you all for sharing and caring," wrote organizing group, the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Garden Society of Vancouver.
Vancouver police arrested 32-year-old Inderdeep Singh Gosal shortly after the altercation and he has since been charged with second-degree murder.
