The suspect in the Buffalo shooting told a motel owner ‘tomorrow my work will definitely be done’

A 67-year-old man who appeared to have financial problems told a motel owner in Buffalo, Minnesota on Monday not to worry about giving him a discount because “tomorrow my work will be definitely done.”

The owner, Mona Patel, did not pry into what work her guest Gregory Ulrich had planned. But he now is the main suspect in the bloody attack on a local health care clinic in which one person died and four others were wounded.

“He was telling me he didn’t have much money because he was over 65,” Patel told CNN. “He said ‘Mona, I don’t have a car and I don’t have much money.'”

“I said if you take a whole week, I will give you a cheaper rate because you have a shortage of money,” Patel said, recalling conversations with Ulrich.

“And he says ‘No, by tomorrow my work will be definitely done. So just give me one (more) night and if it is not done then I can buy more nights,’ Patel said.

Ulrich faces a charge of second-degree intentional murder, which carries a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison, according to a criminal complaint obtained by CNN. He also faces four counts of attempted first-degree premeditated murder, a count of possession of a firearm/pistol in a public place without a permit, and a count of acting with gross disregard for human life or property causing an explosive device or incendiary device to be discharged.

Wright County Attorney Brian Lutes on Wednesday vowed to “aggressively prosecute Ulrich for this horrible crime and the pain he caused.”

In the meantime, police were at Patel’s Super 8 motel on Wednesday to collect her recording equipment that likely contains surveillance of the suspect.

Ulrich appeared virtually in court for the first time on Thursday, where Judge Michele Davis set bail at $10 million without conditions or $5 million with conditions, including that he remain law-abiding, make future court appearances and be GPS monitored, among others. He’s being held in the Wright County Jail.

Lutes had argued that while Ulrich’s criminal history was minimal, he believed Ulrich to be a significant flight risk. He said Ulrich went to the clinic with a loaded 9 mm semi-automatic handgun and some improvised explosive devices.

“He went to the clinic knowing that he was going to shoot that clinic up. He went to the clinic knowing that he was going to ignite those bombs,” Lutes said in court. “And that’s just what he did.”

Ulrich was assigned a public defender. His next court appearance is set for the morning of March 22.

Suspect called 911 to surrender, complaint says

The criminal complaint against Ulrich alleges he had 49 rounds of ammunition and two marijuana cigarettes when he went on the shooting rampage at the Allina Health clinic.

According to the complaint, witnesses said Ulrich “pulled out a handgun and began threatening clinic staff,” when the staff asked if they could help him.

One victim was shot in the back, one victim was shot in the abdomen and a third victim was shot twice in the leg, the complaint says. A fourth victim was shot six times in the chest, abdomen, back and ​left arm. The fifth victim was shot in the abdomen​, and the bullet passed through the liver and spine before exiting from the back, the complaint says.

Following the attack, Ulrich called 911 to tell authorities he would surrender, according to prosecutors. Police officers responding to the scene discovered the “injured victims were screaming for help,” and shattered glass and a gaping hole in the lobby of the clinic “consistent with an explosion.”

Ulrich had detonated two improvised explosive devices, the complaint alleges, while a third remained unexploded. He did not have a permit to carry the handgun in public, court documents state.

A search warrant at Ulrich’s previous home revealed one pound of gunpowder that investigators say is consistent with what was used in the ​improvised explosive devices.

Ulrich told police he took public transportation from the Super 8 motel where he was staying to the clinic, the complaint says.

Suspect had issues with the clinic

Those who knew Ulrich said the suspect was upset that doctors at the Allina Health Care Clinic wouldn’t prescribe him pain medication.

There was a large sign on his shed saying “the doctor was a no-good piece of crap” for everyone driving by to see, according to Raymond Zandstra, 65, who said he rented a room from Ulrich.

And his brother told CNN that the suspect frequently referred to his medication.

“He just kept bringing up the pain medication he needed and how they wouldn’t give it to him,” Richard Ulrich said. “He just seemed obsessed with that. It did concern me, but you know, I didn’t think he’d do something like this, especially after all this time.”

Richard Ulrich lives in Florida and said he hadn’t spoken to his brother in a few months.

The suspect’s anger at the health care center was apparent in 2018 when he called to threaten “shooting, blowing things up, and practicing different scenarios of how to get revenge” because he was “angry with the medical community,” said a doctor who reported the incident, according to a Buffalo police report obtained by CNN.

He said he “wanted it big and sensational so that it makes an impact,” the police report says.

Ulrich has lived in the community “for quite a long time and has had contact with health care within the community during that time,” Buffalo Police Chief Pat Budke said.

Though Ulrich had been unhappy with his health care, “there’s also, within that history, nothing to indicate that we would’ve been in the situation that we are at today,” Budke said.

Wright County Sheriff Sean Deringer said Ulrich’s history with law enforcement dates to 2003.

The pain he caused

As investigators looked into what happened, the city — a community of about 16,000 people roughly a 40-mile drive northwest of Minneapolis — was left to process the bloody incident at a place of care.

Officials for the clinic said the shooting was traumatic.

“Our hearts were broken,” Allina Health said in a statement. “The Wright County Sheriff’s Office is leading the ongoing investigation, and we are assisting in any way we can. Right now, our focus is on supporting our staff, their families, and our patients.”

“As caretakers of victims of gunshots and other violent injuries, nurses and healthcare workers are acutely aware that violence could easily come to the doors of their workplace too,” the Minnesota Nurses Association said. “Seeing other workers become victims shakes any hospital worker to their core.”

Mayor Teri Lachermeier said that officials would be making phone calls to ensure that the mental health of everyone involved is being cared for and that “we’re taking care of those people who are in need of our help.”

Medical assistant killed in the attack

All five victims of the shooting were Allina Health employees, the company said.

One died at Hennepin County Medical Center, hospital spokeswoman Christine Hill said. She was identified by Allina Health as Lindsay Overbay.

Overbay was a medical assistant at the facility and had worked for the company since 2018, Allina said. “The loss of Lindsay is traumatic for all who knew and loved her. Our entire Allina Health family extends our deepest sympathies to her family, friends and co-workers,” Allina said in a statement.

The three victims who are currently hospitalized were all out of critical condition as of Thursday morning, according to a statement from North Memorial Health Hospital. At that time, one patient was in fair condition and two were in good condition, the hospital said. The fourth person was released on Tuesday.