GLENDALE, AZ – According to several reports, a 26-year-old Christian man is in critical condition and fighting for his life after being shot in the head while preaching outside of a Glendale church. 

Police said that the shooting happened around 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, November 15th in the area of 51st Avenue and Peoria. The victim, Hans Schmidt, was reportedly standing on the corner of the intersection telling people about a church service being held nearby later that evening. 

Schmidt is a military veteran and a father of two young children, including a two-month-old baby. He was immediately rushed to the hospital where he remains in critical condition, fighting for his life. In a post on Instagram, his wife, Zulya, wrote, “My husband was shot in the head yesterday while street preaching on the corner of 51st Ave and Peoria. If anyone has any info please contact 911. Thank you for your prayers. Believing God has the final say. I love you so much babe.”

Gina Winn with the Glendale Police Department (GPD) said in a statement, “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.”

Initial investigations are looking to figure out if Schmidt was targeted or if the shooting was random. Officials states that a technology known as a “Shot Spotter” was not installed in the area where Schmidt was shot. Winn said, “51st Avenue and Peoria is a very busy intersection, so we know for a fact that there were people within the area. There were vehicles driving within the area, so we believe there is somebody within the Valley that does know something about what happened.”

Winn added, “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.” On Friday morning, November 17th, Schmidt’s wife posted again to Instagram, saying, “I love you my handsome cowboy. Keep fighting papi. We need you!”

Paul Sanchez, who works at a business near where the shooting happened said that he saw some people drive by, screaming and cursing at Schmidt as he preached. Sanchez said, “There was a lot of everything, really hateful comments, people yelling at him, ‘get off the street,’ all sorts of mean things. 

 

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