A young pastor is fighting for his life after being shot in the head while preaching on a street corner in Glendale, Arizona this past week as law enforcement continues to ask the public for help in the investigation.
Hans Schmidt, 26, the outreach director at Victory Chapel First Phoenix Church, a father of two, was shot while expressing his Christian faith at a busy intersection on Nov. 15, according to a statement on the church’s website.
“Initially, it was believed this was due to an assault, but it was later determined the subject had sustained a gunshot wound,” Ms. Winn said. Mr. Schmidt was standing at a corner “where he was preaching about a church service at a local church.”
The cause of the shooting remains unknown, but detectives are still reviewing a “huge amount” of surveillance made available by local businesses, according to Ms. Winn.
‘Get Off the Street’
“There was a lot of everything, really hateful comments, people yelling at him, ‘get off the street,’ all sorts of mean things,” Mr. Sanchez was quoted as telling the outlet.Mr. Schmidt never confronted anyone or responded to the vitriol, according to Mr. Sanchez.
A decision has not been made on whether the shooting will be investigated as a hate crime. The Glendale Police Department will follow the evidence wherever it leads, Ms. Winn said.
“Based on the information they obtain regarding the investigation they will charge appropriate charges whether that is a hate crime or not,” said Ms. Winn.
FBI data show that hate crimes rose nationally by more than 47 percent from 2019 to 2022. Arizona saw a 68 percent increase between 2018 and 2020, according to FBI data. More than 60 percent of hate crimes are racially motivated, and about 15 percent are religious-based.
For several years, crime in American cities has remained at crisis levels.
Persistent Lawlessness
However, more than a year after officials declared an end to the COVID-19 emergency and officers involved in Mr. Floyd’s death were convicted and sentenced, lawlessness persists at a high level.Glendale, Arizona, which is about nine miles from the state capitol of Phoenix, has experienced a dramatic surge in crime—63 percent higher than the already high national average.
On Nov. 20—less than a week after Mr. Schmidt was assaulted—two people were shot while waiting at a bus stop. The victims are both in critical condition and a suspect is in custody. The shooting appeared to be random, according to police.
As was the case in the bus stop shooting, Mr. Hans was shot in broad daylight, raising questions over how the tragedy could have unfolded without any apparent witnesses.
At the press conference Officer Winn emphasized that due to the time of day and amount of traffic at the intersection where Mr. Schmidt was shot, there are certain to be people who witnessed it or have valuable information but have yet to come forward.
“This is a horrible, horrible offense. We have a 26-year-old who is a military medic. He is recently married,” said Ms. Winn. “He has two small children and is in a critical state, so it is imperative that the public reach out if you do have information so we can bring justice to Hans and his family.”
The Glendale Police Department requests that anyone with any information call its non-emergency number at 623-930-3000.
