Buffalo shooting suspect found mentally incompetent in prior case

Nearly a year ago, a Wright County court dismissed a misdemeanor charge against Gregory Ulrich after finding the 67-year-old incompetent to proceed.

Court documents reveal Ulrich had violated a restraining order taken out against him by a doctor who worked at Allina Health Clinic in Buffalo.

Police were called to the clinic just before 11 a.m. Tuesday on the report of a shooting. Ulrich was taken into custody and is expected to be charged with attempted murder after police say he shot five people inside.

Concerns over Ulrich’s mental health state have been well documented by law enforcement and criminal court proceedings.

In October 2018, a doctor at the clinic reported to police that Ulrich made threats of a mass shooting and other violence against the medical center.

Records show suspect in Buffalo shooting had previously made threats against clinic

According to the incident report, the police officer flagged descriptions of his behavior, writing, "I believe Ulrich is a high threat to society and himself," and filled out paperwork to hold Ulrich in custody for a mental health evaluation.

A month later, prosecutors cited Ulrich with violating a restraining order that was requested by the physician who Ulrich made the threats to.

Again, his mental health came into question when the court ordered a psychological exam to determine if he was competent to stand trial.

These proceedings are commonly referred to as Rule 20s, according to former Hennepin County Judge Bob Small.

"The issue is, whether or not because of a mental illness, the person who is charged with the crime can rationally participate in the trial," Small said, describing the process in an interview on Wednesday.

Small has no direct ties to Ulrich’s case.

While the evaluations are confidential, publicly available documents reveal that the court and Ulrich’s public defender had difficulty communicating with him. The issues forced a delay in the evaluation, but ultimately, he was found incompetent.

"Under the rule, if the charge is a misdemeanor, the charge must be dismissed," Small said, explaining that the result is that the court no longer has oversight of the defendant and no authority to order that person into treatment for their mental illness.

"In misdemeanor cases, that was usually the end, I didn’t see them after that," he said.

Small said, even after the case is dismissed, the court can refer a defendant for screening to see if they are eligible for civil commitment, the state’s process for involuntarily ordering someone into treatment for mental illness.

Civil commitment typically occurs at the state hospital and can result in defendants receiving medication for their symptoms.

Because these records are confidential, 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS could not confirm whether or not Ulrich was sent to a pre-screening process or was civilly committed after his case was dismissed.