Who is Hans Schmidt? GoFundMe raises $3,180 as Arizona religious leader allegedly shot while preaching

26-year-old Hans Schmidt, a religious leader, was reportedly shot in the head while he was preaching in Glendale on a street corner. The alleged shooting took place on Wednesday, November 15, at about 6:15 pm local time in the area of 51st Avenue and Peoria.

Schmidt sustained several injuries and is currently fighting for his life. Soon after the news came to light, a GoFundMe fundraiser was launched with the aim of collecting $20,000, to provide financial assistance to the religious leader's family.

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Hans Schmidt is a religious leader and father of two

A shooting allegedly took place on Wednesday and left 26-year-old Hans Schmidt injured. He is a recently married religious leader and has two children as well. The New York Post reported that Hans was the outreach director at the Victory Chapel. He is also a former military combat medic.

The aforementioned GoFundMe page stated that Hans is the son of Eric Schmidt, who is a well-known personality in the North American Strongman community.

Police are currently investigating the alleged shooting that left Hans Schmidt severely injured. As per AZFamily, he was preaching on a street corner when someone reportedly shot him. It is currently unclear if he was shot by someone on foot or if the gunman was in a vehicle. Family members, friends, and officials are currently urging individuals with information about the case to come forward.

An individual identified as Paul Sanchez, who works nearby, spoke to AZFamily and said that during the preaching session, a group of people allegedly yelled and cursed at Hans Schmidt, and then drove away.

"There was a lot of everything, really—hateful comments, people yelling at him, 'get off the street,' all sorts of mean things," Sanchez said.

Henry Branch, who lives near the site of the alleged shooting spoke to the publication and said:

"Who knows why someone would want to take it out on a preacher like that because he’s speaking the gospel and good news to everybody. He’s out to help the community."

Office Gina Winn of the Glendale Police Department spoke about the alleged shooting and said:

"We have a 26-year-old who was a military medic. He is recently married, he has two small children and he’s currently in a critical state."

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"He is sedated and stable" - GoFundMe page sheds light on Hans Schmidt's condition

The GoFundMe fundraiser has raised $3,580 as of this writing with the help of 40 donations. The fundraiser post shed light on how Hans was allegedly shot and read:

"Single entry point on the side on the left temple. The bullet traveled through his brain and is still inside on the right side of his head. No one heard the shot or saw where it came from."

The post also stated that Hans Schmidt was walking and talking after he was reportedly shot. However, he soon began bleeding, vomiting, and having seizures, which was when he was rushed to the hospital.

"At the time of this post, he is sedated and stable on life support. They are draining fluid from his head to relieve pressure on his brain. So far they are saying it’s inoperable. It’s an incredibly sad situation. We are hoping for a miracle," the post continued.

Officer Winn believes that since there were so many people and vehicles in the area when the alleged incident took place, someone must know something. Authorities are trying to find out if Hans was the actual target of the shooting, or if the alleged incident was a random act of violence. More information on the case is currently awaited.