A man is fighting for his life after he was reportedly shot while preaching outside a Glendale church.
The shooting happened at around 6:00 p.m. on Nov. 15 in the area of 51st Avenue and Peoria. Police say the victim, 26-year-old Hans Schmidt, was standing on the corner of the intersection, preaching to the public about attending a nearby church service.
Schmidt, who is a married military veteran and a father to two young children, was hospitalized in critical condition.
After the shooting happened, businesses in the area got a knock on their door from police, telling them to leave.
The owner of Jesse James Comics was among those being asked to leave by police officials. The store's namesake owner was in the middle of a livestream when the incident happened. He let his subscribers know he had to step away.
"Alright. Nothing like three cops at your door. OK. I am going to move my car, folks. I'll be right back because there was a shooting down the street, and I won't be able to get out of the complex so hang out for three minutes, and I'll be right back," James was heard saying in the livestream video.
"When I came out, they had changed the whole traffic, so the whole traffic was only down to one lane going through the complex," James recounted.
James learned about what happened on Nov. 16.
"It's something where they preach so much on this corner, and it's such a congested area," said James. "I always thought they might get hit by a car. I didn't know they would be shot."
After the shooting, James said he is going to be more aware of his surroundings.
"After tonight I think we just need to take those extra steps," said James. "Closing at the right time, making sure at nighttime, making sure at nighttime we have extra people on the floor… just be aware of our surroundings a little bit more."
Police are asking anyone with information on the shooting to call them at 623-930-3000 or Silent Witness at 480-WITNESS, or 480-TESTIGO for Spanish.
"This is a horrible, horrible event. We have a 26-year-old who is a military man, who was recently married and has two small children. He's in a critical state," said Gina Winn of the Glendale Police Department. "We believe there is someone in the Valley who knows what happened. If you saw an individual or vehicle, you're asked to call the Glendale Police Department."
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