Minnesota clinic shooting brings premeditated murder charge

BUFFALO (AP) — A Minnesota man accused of walking into a medical clinic and opening fire, killing one staff member and wounding four others, was indicted on a more serious charge of premeditated murder, and remained detained after a court appearance Monday.

A grand jury indicted Gregory Ulrich, 68, with one count of first-degree premeditated murder in the Feb. 9 shooting at the Allina Health Clinic in Buffalo, a small city about 40 miles (65 kilometers) northwest of Minneapolis. He also faces four counts of first-degree attempted murder in the attack.

He is also accused of setting off several pipe bombs at the clinic before eventually surrendering to law enforcement, and has been charged with discharging an explosive device.

Lindsay Overbay, a 37-year-old medical assistant, was killed in the shooting.

Ulrich appeared in a Wright County District Court on Monday and remains detained. Bail has been set at $5 million with conditions, or $10 million without conditions. His attorney, Gregory Davis, had no comment on the upgraded charge.

In Minnesota, the count of premeditated first-degree murder must be charged by a grand jury; Ulrich will face a mandatory life sentence if convicted. Prosecutor Brian Lutes said he convened the grand jury after a judge ruled in August that Ulrich was competent to stand trial.

Court records allege Ulrich has mental health and substance abuse problems, and that he frequently reported unfounded thefts or minor quarrels involving his neighbors and others. Police have said Ulrich was no stranger to them and was known to have been angry over his medical treatment.

Ulrich’s next court hearing is set for Oct. 18.

2 men charged in St. Paul bar shootout that left 1 dead

ST. PAUL (AP) — Two men were charged Monday in connection with a weekend shootout at a busy St. Paul bar that left one woman dead and 14 people injured.

Police say Marquisha Wiley, 27, of St. Paul, was killed early Sunday when gunfire broke out at the Seventh Street Truck Park bar. She was shot in the back as two men exchanged gunfire, according to criminal complaints.

Devondre Trevon Phillips, 29, of Las Vegas, was charged with 12 counts of second-degree attempted murder and Terry Lorenzo Brown, 33, of St. Paul, was charged with one count of second-degree intentional murder and 11 counts of second-degree attempted murder.

The two men, who had an apparent beef with each other, were among the injured. They were in custody Monday but still hospitalized and it was not clear if they had attorneys to comment on their behalf.

According to the criminal complaints: “Officers arrived to a chaotic scene – multiple people with gunshot wounds were being tended to by others. Spent shell casings and bullet fragments were all over the bar floor.”

Officers saw a man carrying Wiley, who was limp and not moving, over his shoulder, according to the criminal complaints. The medical examiner’s office said the bullet penetrated her lung and heart.

“No one should have to live in fear of those around them settling their differences with a hail of gunfire,” Ramsey County Attorney John Choi said in a statement.

The other shooting victims suffered various injuries, including gunshot wounds to the legs, arms, ankles or abdomen. All were expected to survive.

According to the criminal complaints, surveillance video shows Phillips was in the bar talking to two women when a man identified as JH approached them and appeared to be upset. JH told one of the women to walk away with him.

The complaints say Brown entered the bar and JH and a man with long dreadlocks reentered. JH walked up to Phillips, and Brown watched from a distance as Phillips shot JH in the abdomen, the complaints say. Phillips then walked toward the door, firing at Brown, and Brown fired back.

Wiley, who was behind Phillips, fell to the ground with others in her group and they tried to cover each other up as Phillips and Brown continued to shoot at each other, the complaints say.

Phillips left and fell in the street. A bar patron jumped on Brown and repeatedly punched him, as another patron grabbed Brown’s gun and ran outside with it, according to the complaints.

The man with the long dreadlocks also pulled out a gun and fired it once. He helped JH out of the bar then disappeared.

JH told investigators he went to the bar with Brown. He said he “messes” with the woman Phillips was talking to, but was not upset and claimed he only said, “What’s up?” to Phillips, the complaints say.

Brown told investigators that he and Phillips are in a beef due to allegations of domestic abuse against Brown. He also said, per the complaints, that Phillips shot him first and Brown returned fire.

Phillips initially told investigators he wasn’t part of the shooting. But when investigators told him it was captured on surveillance video, Phillips said he was targeted but didn’t know why. Phillips said he remembered a lot of shots, pain and lights, but didn’t remember having a gun, the complaints say.

The Seventh Street Truck bar is in an entertainment district just south of the Xcel Energy Center, where the NHL’s Minnesota Wild play.

Lighthouse to allow visitors again for Fitzgerald memorial

BEAVER BAY (AP) — A Lake Superior lighthouse plans to welcome visitors back for an annual memorial honoring the sailors who died when the Edmund Fitzgerald sank.

Every Nov. 10, the day the ship sank in a gale in 1975, the Split Rock Lighthouse just south of Beaver Bay holds a beacon lighting. Lighthouse officials announce the names of all 29 sailors who died as a bell tolls, Minnesota Public Radio reported Sunday.

The lighthouse didn’t allow visitors to attend last year’s ceremony due to COVID-19 concerns. People had to listen through an online livestream.

Lighthouse officials say this year’s ceremony will be a hybrid, with the lighthouse grounds open to the public and a livestream on the Minnesota Historical Society’s Facebook and YouTube pages for those who can’t attend. The ceremony will begin at 4:30 p.m.

“There’s something about being here on-site and hearing the bell ring, and the names being read off and then seeing the beacon turned on right after that. There’s just something very special about that,” said Hayes Scriven, the lighthouse site manager. “It’s just a way to connect with the past and remember that Lake Superior is a fickle animal and you’ve got to respect the power, and not take it for granted.”