Glendale police say a street preacher is in critical condition after being shot in the head.
Around six o'clock on Wednesday evening, it occurred near the northwest corner of 51st and Peoria Avenues.
Glendale Arizona
They shot a religious leader in the head on Wednesday night while giving a sermon on a street corner in Glendale. The congregation is expressing outrage over this incident. Glendale police provided an update on Friday morning stating that Hans Schmidt, a 26-year-old father of two and husband, is still in critical condition.
Around six o’clock on Wednesday evening, it occurred near the northwest corner of 51st and Peoria Avenues. According to friends, it happened while the ex-military combat medic was preaching the gospel to passersby on the street corner using a megaphone—something he had reportedly done countless times before. This time, a gun was drawn, and they shot him.
The reason, according to family and friends, baffled them. “It is unclear why an individual would wish to vent their anger towards a preacher in that manner, given that he is sharing the gospel and positive news with all.” His goal is to better the community, according to Henry Branch, a local. As the outreach director, Schmidt also helps direct the weekly services at the Victory Chapel. Paul Sanchez, a local employee, reported that many passersby yelled and cursed at Schmidt while he was out preaching.
He claimed, “There was a lot of everything—hate speech, people telling him to get off the street, and all kinds of mean things.” Given that Sanchez claims Schmidt never challenged anyone or addressed the hurtful remarks, he said he never thought the situation would worsen. The pastor disclosed the events on Wednesday night as Larry Dettman was attending church services. The pastor went to the hospital a few minutes later to see how Schmidt was doing. How did this happen out of the blue? There’s a lot of human garbage in this world, including some evil, and people take it out on other people, according to Dettman. It’s still unknown who fired the gun at the street preacher—a passerby or a person on foot thus far.
