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Testimony underway in trial for man charged in Buffalo Allina Clinic shooting

Gregory Ulrich is charged with first-degree premeditated murder, four counts of first-degree premeditated attempted murder and 13 other criminal counts.

BUFFALO, Minn. — Editor's note: The video above first aired on KARE 11 on March 1, 2022.

The trial for Gregory Ulrich, the man charged with opening fire in an Allina Clinic in Buffalo, Minnesota last year, is officially in motion.

A jury is seated and prosecutors began with their opening statements Monday afternoon, giving the state's version of what transpired that February day in 2021.

Ulrich is charged with first-degree premeditated murder, four counts of first-degree premeditated attempted murder and 13 other criminal counts in relation to weapons violations, including detonating homemade explosive devices and possessing a gun without a permit. 

Authorities say Ulrich shot five people inside the clinic, killing one and injuring four others.

KARE 11's Lou Raguse was in the courtroom as the trial got underway and reported that the Wright County Attorney delivered a succinct opening and detailed the facts of their case in chronological order.

He told the jury about Lindsay Overbay, the 37-year-old medical assistant who was shot and later died her after the bullet passed through her liver and spine before exiting through her back.

On the day of the shooting, witnesses said Ulrich walked into the reception area of the clinic, shot one person the back, then another in the abdomen. He then entered the interior area of the clinic, where he shot a third victim in the leg twice as that person tried to flee. Investigators said Ulrich kept firing, shooting a fourth victim, later revealed to be Overbay, six times in the chest, abdomen, back, arm and forearm.

Raguse said Ulrich's attorney, Virginia Murphy, debated whether the several counts of first-degree premeditation Ulrich is facing are appropriate for the crime, saying he did not go to the clinic with the intent to kill. She did, however, agree with the prosecution about the rest of the facts in the case.

Murphy claimed Ulrich went to the clinic to bring attention to his claim that he was wrongfully labeled "drug-seeking," and unable to obtain painkillers.

Just before court recessed for the afternoon, the prosecution's first witnesses, an investigator who worked on the case in addition to clinic manager Rachelle Gwin, took the stand.

KARE 11 Investigates has uncovered information about Ulrich's long history with the clinic, including threats of violence and revenge because he was angry about being denied opioids following a back surgery. 

RELATED: KARE 11 Investigates: Ulrich threatened 'revenge' in 2018

KARE 11's Lou Raguse reported last week that a number of questions asked by the defense involved opioid addiction.

Just before court recessed for the afternoon, the prosecution's first witnesses, clinic manager Rachelle Gwin, and an investigator working the case, briefly took the stand.

Witness testimony is scheduled to resume Tuesday.

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