Buffalo, Minnesota Active Shooter Identified as Gregory Ulrich, 67

Gregory Ulrich is a 67-year-old man who has been identified as the gunman accused of carrying out a mass shooting and possibly setting off explosive devices at a Buffalo, Minnesota, health clinic.

Ulrich is from Buffalo, police said. He was named by Wright County Sheriff Sean Deringer in a news conference. Authorities believe that Ulrich acted alone. They said the mass shooting didn’t appear to be domestic terrorism. They said it was “most likely” that the incident was “targeted at that facility” and directed at “that facility or people in that facility.”

The call came in shortly before 11 a.m. on February 9 for an active shooter at Allina Health Clinic in Buffalo, Minnesota.

Five people were wounded, according to dispatch audio, which also indicated the suspect had homemade bombs and possibly a briefcase. The victims’ names and conditions have not been released, although dispatch audio indicated that victims were “critical,” and one woman was shot in the abdomen.

Here’s what you need to know about Gregory Paul Ulrich:

1. Ulrich Wanted Revenge for Health Issues & Previously Threatened a Mass Shooting at the Clinic, Reports Allege

FacebookGregory Ulrich

According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, in 2018, Ulrich had called his former doctor “three times a day, threatening mass shooting, to blow things up and other revenge scenarios,” believing doctors had tortured him. Those allegations are contained in a police report obtained by the newspaper.

Ulrich was taken for an investigation; he had health issues relating to back surgeries, the newspaper said.

He is accused of saying he wanted to make a mass shooting “big and sensational so that it makes an impact,” the report states. The staff at Allina had sought to ban him from the campus and he was charged with violating a restraining order, but the case was tossed when he was declared mentally incompetent, according to the Star Tribune.

On his Facebook page, Ulrich only has a single photo of himself, which you can see above. He says he moved to Buffalo, Minnesota, in March 2020, although the sheriff indicated he was known to them. Authorities said, contrary to his Facebook page, that Ulrich has lived in the Buffalo community for a long time and has had contact with health care before. That’s why authorities believe the mass shooting was targeted. They weren’t more specific.

In dispatch audio obtained by Heavy.com, an officer indicated there were multiple victims, saying, “They’re looking at about five injured, critically.”

You can listen to the initial dispatch audio here.

https://heavy.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/buffalo.mp3?_=1

A gun and briefcase were found in an office by the front desk. The call came in at 10:54 a.m.

2. The Sheriff Says Gregory Ulrich Was ‘No Stranger to Law Enforcement’; Records Show He has a Drunk Driving History

Google Maps

The Sheriff said Ulrich was on law enforcement’s radar previously.

“We have had several calls for service regarding Mr. Ulrich dating back to 2003. Both the Buffalo Police Department and Wright County Sheriff’s Department. He’s no stranger to law enforcement,” he said.

Ulrich has an arrest record in Minnesota dating back several years, online records show. He was arrested in September 2004 and charged with driving under the influence with a blood alcohol content of 0.18 or higher and possession of a small amount of marijuana. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 15 days in jail and one year of probation.

Ulrich was again convicted of DUI in 2005 and was sentenced to 30 days in jail and three years of probation, online records show. Another DUI conviction came in 2006, and he was sentenced to three months in jail. His most recent arrest was in 2015, when he was charged with possession of a small amount of marijuana in a motor vehicle. He paid a fine in that case.

The suspect was arrested at the scene. The sheriff called it a “horrible looking scene” with multiple victims.

“He should still be sprawled out on his stomach,” police said in the dispatch audio, although it’s not clear whether they were referring to the suspect. Police said the suspect was in custody, in a squad, and they were calling in the bomb squad to see if there was another device in the entryway.

3. Police Indicated That Four Homemade Explosive Devices Might Have Detonated

Allina HealthThe scene of the Buffalo mass shooting.

During a secondary search, the sheriff said authorities found a suspicious package in the corner of the lobby and the bomb squad was still at the scene at the time of the press conference. In the news conference, authorities didn’t say much about the explosives, saying it was too early in the investigation.

They said there “may have been” an explosion in the building before law enforcement got there, but they couldn’t confirm that information at this point.

Officers talked about explosives in dispatch audio obtained by Heavy.com.

“Is there any more mention of that possible explosive?” an officer said. The response was garbled in the audio. An officer or dispatcher then said that “the male was saying he had four homemade explosive devices; they all went off.”

“We see evidence of that. West glass shattered all across,” an officer responded.

“There might be one inside the briefcase by that front office that have not gone off yet,” an officer or dispatcher responded. “We have several victims at the front,” an officer said. “I’ve got four or five with gunshots back here,” said another officer at the scene. A female victim suffered a gunshot wound to the abdomen.

4. Ulrich Was Staying at a Super 8; at Least 15 Shots Were Fired, Audio Says

Google Maps

The sheriff learned that Ulrich was most recently staying at the Super 8 hotel in Buffalo, and “we did find additional suspicious devices at the Super 8 hotel,” which was evacuated, the sheriff said.

“The Wright County Sheriff’s Office is asking the public to stay away from the area of Highway 55 and Willems Way in Buffalo,” Wright County’s Facebook page said. “There has been an active shooter incident at the Allina Health Urgent Care – Buffalo Crossroads clinic. A suspect believed to be the shooter has been taken into custody. The frontage road alongside the Wells Fargo Bank has also been closed to traffic. The Wright County Sheriff’s Office will have a statement that will be released this afternoon.”

A “man with a gun” was reported at the address, and “shots were fired,” according to the emergency dispatch audio obtained by Heavy.com. A dispatcher said “at least 15 shots were fired…somebody came and started shooting.” Female victims suffered gunshot wounds, including one who was critical and one who had a wound to the abdomen, according to the dispatch audio

Police told CBS Local that they were “responding to a gun incident” at the clinic, which is located at 755 Crossroads Campus Drive.

The television station reported that the center’s representative “confirmed there is an active shooter at the clinic in Buffalo.” That comment was made around 11:30 a.m. on February 9, 2021.

The shooting broke out around 11 a.m., according to the television station.

5. Early, Unconfirmed Reports From Other Pages Also Indicated There Might Be as Many as Five Victims

Sites that monitor police dispatch audio also wrote on Twitter that there might be as many as five victims, but authorities had not yet officials confirmed this information.

The Minnesota Public Safety Monitoring Page wrote on Twitter, “Wright Co – Possible active shooter. Suspect reported to be detained. Multiple victims reported w/five reported to be critical.”

The page MN Crime wrote, “The shooter is reportedly in custody and authorities say there are at least five confirmed victims at the clinic. Multiple AirCare helicopters are en route to transport the gunshot victims. – The incident was reported to have taken place at the Allina clinic.”

The site added, “Dispatch audio also indicated that homemade explosives were set off at the clinic and a bomb threat was reportedly directed at a Super 8 hotel about a mile south of the clinic, but its relationship to the shooting was not immediately clear.”

This post is being updated as more information is learned. We’ve reached out to Allina Health Center’s PR team for additional details.

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