Families Of Buffalo Shooting Victims Offer 'Heartfelt Thanks' For Community's Support
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- As the Buffalo community marks a week since a shooting at a health clinic that killed one person and injured four others, the families of the victims are speaking out.
Authorities said Gregory Paul Ulrich, 67, was angry about his medical treatment before he shot five workers and detonated three apparent pipe bombs at the Allina Health clinic. He now faces a murder charge and several additional attempted murder charges.
Medical assistant Lindsay Overbay, 37, was killed in the shooting. She was a mother to two young children.
The other victims -- Sherry Curtis, Tammy Schaufler, Antonya Fransen-Pruden and Jennifer Gibson -- were also staff members at the clinic. All are expected to survive.
The families of all five victims released statements via Allina Tuesday.
From the family of Sherry Curtis:
We are all still shocked and horrified at the events that took place Feb 9th, 2021 at the Allina Health Clinic – Buffalo Crossroads in Buffalo. During that event Sherry suffered life threatening injuries which required extensive surgery to repair. Because of the selfless actions of others, including law enforcement, the amazing medical teams, and her fighting spirit, today we can happily share she has been upgraded to good condition. We would like to thank everyone for the outpouring of love, support and prayer. The support from the #buffalostrong community has been giving us the strength to persevere through this unimaginable time. Thank you for allowing our family the much needed space and time to be there for her. The recovery journey has only begun for our family, physically and emotionally. Please continue to lift her up in your thoughts and prayers. We would appreciate our continued privacy as we navigate through the healing process. There is a Go Fund Me page set up for her if you would like to contribute to her recovery fund, (Sherry Curtis Recovery Fund) and a Caring Bridge website we will continue to update along this journey.
Our prayers go out to the 4 other victims and their families and for all of those who were impacted by this senseless act of violence. We can now understand how others in similar situations simply say, there are no words but our prayers are always with you. #buffalostrong
From the family of Tammy Schaufler:
We would like thank our friends, family, law enforcement and the Allina Health and North Memorial teams for the continuous outreach of support and prayer our family has received throughout this difficult time. It has been truly amazing to see how communities throughout Minnesota have come together to lift up and support our family and one another during this tragedy. It is because of the outpouring of support and prayer, Tammy has continued to gain strength and improve each day. We know she has a long recovery ahead and appreciate the love and support our family continues to receive as we move forward.
Our sincere thanks, The Schaufler Family
From the family of Antonya Fransen-Pruden:
The family of Antonya would like to express how incredibly grateful we are for everyone's support during this difficult time. We are also thankful for respecting the privacy of Antonya and our family. Antonya is going to have a long journey to recovery, and our family is going to be by her side every step of the way. We appreciate all of the support from all of her friends and family that have reached out to see what they can do to help. We are amazed at how supportive everyone has been and please know that it means the world to us.
Antonya will make it through this, and with your support she will overcome any challenges that she may face. Thank you so much for keeping us in your thoughts.
From the family of Jennifer Gibson:
Our family would like to express how incredibly grateful we are for the love and support Jennifer and our entire family has received throughout the last week. We would like to thank our friends, family and the #BuffaloStrong community who have reached out to make sure we are okay and offer their support. Jennifer is recovering and regaining her strength every day. That said, we know the recovery journey after experiencing this type of trauma will take time and we appreciate our continued privacy as we surround Jennifer with the love support she needs to heal. Please keep Jennifer in your thoughts and prayers. Our heartfelt thanks go out to everyone who has offered their support to us during this difficult time.
From the family of Lindsay Overbay:
Our family would like to extend our sincere gratitude for the outpouring of love and support we have received throughout this difficult time. We are grateful to our family, friends and the Buffalo and New Ulm communities who have reached out our family and have and prayed for us as we process the tragic loss of a wife, mother, daughter, sister and friend. Our hearts are broken, but we continue to find comfort in the continuous support of family, friends and community. We ask that you keep our family in your thoughts and prayers as we heal from the senseless and tragic loss of our beloved Lindsay.
Allina Health and the group Buffalo Strong asked the community to come together at 11 a.m. Tuesday for a moment of silence to honor the victims.
The color purple, chosen to show solidarity, lit landmarks in Buffalo, as well as Allianz Field in St. Paul.
