'Desperate need of a miracle': Dad shot in head while preaching on Glendale street corner
A father of two was in critical condition after being shot in the head Wednesday evening while preaching and encouraging people to attend his church service on a Glendale street corner.
A Glendale Police Department investigation found Hans Schmidt, 26, suffered a gunshot wound to the head from a projectile around 6:15 p.m. while preaching on the northwest corner of West Peoria and 51st avenues about attending a nearby church, according to a Friday morning press release from the agency.Schmidt was originally taken to the hospital with injuries thought to be from an assault before medical staff later determined he had a gunshot wound, according to the press release.
Schmidt is outreach director at Victory Chapel, located on West Peoria Avenue, just blocks away from where the shooting happened, the church's website detailed. Schmidt is "in desperate need of a miracle," the website added.
"Family's just devastated. We all are," said Victory Chapel Pastor Gary Marsh in a phone call Friday with The Arizona Republic.
Marsh said Victory Chapel is a Pentecostal church and service may draw about a hundred attendees."We do believe in evangelism. That's why there's young men standing in the corner preaching the gospel," Marsh said.
Paul Sanchez works at Brake Masters, an automotive repair shop on the same parking lot as Victory Chapel, and told The Republic on Friday that he remembered often seeing Schmidt preaching on a megaphone along with two others from the church."He wasn't being hateful," Sanchez said about Schmidt's preaching on Wednesday.
The church's website stated Schmidt was intubated after having a seizure and fluid was drained from his brain.
Schmidt is a military combat medic who is married and is a father of two young children, according to the news release.
He remains in critical condition as of Friday morning, the press release stated.
Sanchez said the shooting happened outside a Sun Devil Auto in the same parking lot as the church. A front desk employee declined to comment.
The strip mall where Victory Chapel is situated includes a Dollar General, a smoke shop, a CBD dispensary and a comic book store. Next to the church is Lone Wolf Trading Company, a gun store.Police think there are additional witnesses with information, the news release noted.
Anyone with information on the case is asked to contact police at 623-930-3000, or Silent Witness at 480-WITNESS (948-6377) or 480-TESTIGO (837-8446).
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Dad shot in head while preaching on Glendale street corner
