Elderly man arrested in Minnesota clinic shooting that killed 1, wounded
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[February 10, 2021]
By Rich McKay
(Reuters) - An elderly gunman shot one
person to death and wounded four others inside a Minneapolis-area
medical clinic on Tuesday before the suspect, believed to be a
disgruntled former patient, was arrested at the scene, police said.
Gregory Paul Ulrich, 67, also described by authorities as an individual
well known to law enforcement, was taken into custody shortly after
late-morning gunfire erupted at the Allina Health Clinic in Buffalo,
Minnesota, about 35 miles (55 km) northwest of Minneapolis.
Local media reported an explosion accompanied the shooting, but
officials said they could not immediately confirm those reports. The
Minneapolis Star Tribune, citing an emergency dispatch audio, said a
bomb exploded in the clinic about 30 minutes after the gunfire.
Buffalo Police Chief Pat Budke told reporters investigators believe the
suspect, a longtime Buffalo resident, acted alone and singled out the
clinic over a personal grudge against the facility or its staff.
"The history we have as a department with this individual makes it most
likely that this incident was targeted at that facility or at someone in
that facility," Budke said.
The police chief referred to an unspecified past "conflict" the suspect
had with local healthcare providers.
Ulrich was scheduled to appear for arraignment in the case on Thursday,
police said.
Five people wounded by gunfire were transported to area hospitals,
Allina Health executive Kelly Spratt said at the news conference. Spratt
declined to say whether the victims were clinic patients or staff.
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An elderly gunman shot one person to death and wounded four others
inside a Minneapolis-area medical clinic on Tuesday before the
suspect, believed to be a disgruntled former patient, was arrested
at the scene, police said. Bryan Wood reports.
One of the victims later died, according to Christine Hill, a
spokeswoman for the Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis.
Three others were listed in critical but stable condition at North
Memorial Hospital in nearby Robbinsdale, Minneapolis television
station KMSP reported.
Video footage of the clinic broadcast by KMSP-TV showed several
front windows shattered and an empty wheelchair on the sidewalk near
the entrance after the shooting.
Bomb squad investigators called to the scene were examining a
suspicious package found in the clinic's lobby. Additional
"suspicious devices" were found at a nearby motel where Ulrich was
staying, said Wright County Sheriff Sean Deringer.
The sheriff said the motel was evacuated as a precaution, and nearby
schools were also placed under security lockdown.
The sheriff said there were records of several "calls for service"
to police about Ulrich dating back to 2003. "He's no stranger to law
enforcement," he added.
Earlier, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz told a separate briefing he
understood that "improvised explosive devices" were involved but did
not say whether any had been detonated.
(Reporting by Rich McKay in Atlanta and Peter Szekely in New York;
Writing and additional reporting by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles;
Editing by Cynthia Osterman and Richard Pullin)
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