Man convicted of manslaughter in Vancouver Starbucks stabbing

Inderdeep Singh Gosal was convicted of manslaughter Tuesday in the stabbing death of Paul Schmidt outside a Starbucks in downtown Vancouver in March 2023. He was found not guilty of second-degree murder.

Schmidt was pushing his daughter in a stroller when he approached Gosal, who was smoking near the entrance. The verbal confrontation turned physical, and Schmidt was stabbed six times. The attack was captured on video and widely shared online.

Gosal's lawyers argued that his actions represented an overreaction due to mental illness rather than deliberate intent to kill. They cited his schizophrenia diagnosis and the fact that he had stopped taking medication about three months before the killing. Gosal testified he believed a knife he found in an alley was a "sign from God" he needed to protect himself.

Crown prosecutors argued Gosal knew his actions could result in death. They pointed to inconsistencies in his account—changes to his story about buying the knife, exaggerations to police about alcohol consumption, and self-serving depictions of his psychological state to psychiatrists.

The altercation was witnessed by more than a dozen people and recorded by multiple CCTV security cameras. Justice Kathleen Ker described the incident as "shocking, violent and traumatic."

No sentencing date has been set.