BUFFALO, Minn. — Hours after a shooting at an Allina Health clinic rocked this small town of 16,000, Tanya Rodriguez learned one of the injured victims was her friend and neighbor, Sherry Curtis, a nurse at the facility since 2013.
“My heart dropped,” Rodriguez said. “It’s just mind-blowing that she’s one of the victims. It’s so sad. It’s heartbreaking.”
Allina Health identified Curtis late Wednesday as one of the four victims taken to the hospital; a fifth, beloved medical assistant Lindsay Overbay, died of her wounds. North Memorial confirmed that three injured victims remain there – one in critical condition, one in fair condition and one in good condition – but did not update Curtis’ status specifically or share the names of others.
According to a GoFundMe created by Curtis’ family, “she has a long road to recovery but she is strong and she is making huge progress.”
Rodriguez said her whole family is close with Curtis and her husband, and that they often socialize at each other’s houses.
“We’ve invited them over whenever the kids have birthdays,” Rodriguez said. “She’s just the kindest person, the sweetest person.”
By late Wednesday evening, the enormous law enforcement presence had mostly subsided, with only a few Buffalo Police vehicles blocking the front entrance to the Allina Health clinic. The community’s focus has now turned to helping the victims’ families, through GoFundMe pages or other fundraising avenues.
Brady Elsenpeter, a Buffalo born-and-raised business owner who runs the “What’s the Scoop?” ice cream shop in the heart of downtown, said he felt compelled to offer his support immediately after learning about the shooting.
“We need to grow off this. We need to come together,” Elsenpeter said. “Us personally, we’re going to do some treats for the different frontline people, the police departments and things like that. Want to take care of the people involved, and make sure they feel right at home here in Buffalo.”
Sue Olmscheid, the president of the Buffalo Area Chamber of Commerce, spent most of Wednesday coordinating with local businesses about fundraising ideas. She said she met in the morning with the police chief, faith leaders and some Allina staff about how to merge the efforts across town.
They plan to launch a website on Thursday, tentatively named “BuffaloStrong.care”.
“We’ve had people want to do blood drives, print t-shirts, provide food, and we just want to make sure what happens is meaningful to the Allina group,” Olmscheid said. “That’s the best part about living in a small town. Everyone wants to do their part to make it whole.”
Thousands of dollars have already been raised for the families through various GoFundMe pages.
“We’re here, anything they need, we are here,” Tanya Rodriguez said on her front porch, looking straight ahead at her neighbor Sherry Curtis’ home. “I still have no words for it. I just really hope she pulls through.”