The Wright County man responsible for an unthinkable day in Buffalo history will remain behind bars, the Minnesota Supreme Court ruled Wednesday, Feb. 21.
Gregory Ulrich, who started a day of terror at the Allina Clinic in Buffalo nearly three years ago to this date, was appealing his conviction of shooting up the medical facility in 2021, killing nurse Lindsay Overbay and wounding four others in the attack.
Ulrich’s defense team argued the judge in his 2022 case made a critical mistake by denying the team’s request to relocated the trial away from Wright County. They also tried to convince the Minnesota Court of Appeals and the State Supreme Court a juror in the trial expressed bias against Ulrich during the legal proceedings, which ended with a guilty conviction in June 2022.
Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Barry Anderson wrote in a opinion denying the appeal:
“1. The [District] court did not abuse its discretion in denying the motion by the defendantto strike a juror fo cause because the juror did not express actual bias requiring removal from the jury.
“2. The District court did not abuse its discretion in denying a motion by Ulrich to change venue based on the failure of the defendant to renew the motion following voir dire.
“3. Guilty verdicts of first-degree premiditated murder and four counts of attempted first-degree premeditated murder are supported by the record.”
Anderson also wrote in his ruling “Ulrich acted with premeditation and an intent to kill,” and that evidence in the case and legal fillings proved Ulrich was guilty.
The entire filing/opinion can be found here, via the State Judicial Website.
According to court records and Wright County Sheriff’s Office reports, Ulrich unleashed a morning of terror on Feb. 9, 2021 when he traveled from a hotel room in Buffalo to the clinic at 755 Crossroads Campus Drive, opening fire and planting “pipe bombs” or other explosives on the property.
In the attack, one person was killed and up to several others were injured or wounded. Five were taken for medical treatment, including Overbay, who died.
Ulrich was no stranger to anyone at the Buffalo clinic. Employees there supported one family doctor, Dr. Andrew J. Burgdorf, as he filed for a restraining order (shown below this article) against Ulrich in December of 2018. That order was granted.
Ulrich threatened, among other things, “mass violence,” and called three times within one hour. Witnesses to the 2021 attack said Ulrich was injured, suffered from chronic back pain, and blamed doctors for “screwing him up.” His brother told one news outlet that Ulrich was addicted to painkillers containing opioids.
Other witnesses, including neighbors, said his residence in the Pulaski Trailer Court was a “mess” and that Ulrich would fish the shores, clean his fish and throw remnants back into the water.
Ulrich has had multiple run-ins with Buffalo law enforcement, both Wright County deputies and BPD. He was arrested three times for DWI and was also accused of possessing marijuana. A Wright County judge threw out an additional drug arrest because he found Ulrich not suitable for trial.
Lutes Releases Statement
Wright County Attorney Brian Lutes, who was new to the job in 2021, released the following statement after the State Supreme Court’s decision:
The Minnesota Supreme Court released a decision this morning affirming the convictions of Gregory Ulrich for the mass shooting attack at the Allina Clinic in Buffalo, Minnesota, on February 9, 2021, in which Ulrich murdered Lindsay Overbay and shot and injured four others – Sherry Curtis, Antonya Fransen-Pruden, Jennifer Gibson, and Tamara Schaufler. The convictions affirmed were for 1st degree premeditated murder, four counts of attempted 1st degree murder premeditated, and for detonating explosive devices. The Minnesota Supreme Court decision ensures that Ulrich will spend the rest of his life in prison without the possibility of parole. I extend my thoughts and prayers to the family and friends of Lindsay Overbay, the other shooting victims, and all the medical providers and patients at the clinic on February 9, 2021, who were impacted by this horrific act of violence. I thank my law enforcement partners and paramedics who entered the clinic with extreme courage to arrest Ulrich and render care to the shooting victims. Lives were saved because of the bravery of law enforcement and paramedics. I hope the decision of the Minnesota Supreme Court following a successful jury trial brings a sense of justice and finality to all those impacted by this awful event. As a citizen of Wright County, I am proud of how our community responded to this tragic event.