5 wounded in Minnesota clinic attack; local man arrested

Published 12:42 pm Tuesday, February 9, 2021

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BUFFALO— Multiple people were shot at a Minnesota health clinic on Tuesday and someone was taken into custody afterward, police said.

The shooting happened at the Allina clinic in Buffalo, a city of about 15,000 people roughly 40 miles (64 kilometers) northwest of Minneapolis, Kelly Prestidge, an office manager for the Buffalo Police Department, told The Associated Press.

Prestidge said one person was taken into custody, but that she didn’t know if it was the shooter. She also said she didn’t have further information on the attack, including how many people were shot or if anyone was killed.

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Police Chief Pat Budke told TV station KSTP that the shooting happened inside the Allina Clinic Crossroads campus. He said the situation was contained shortly before noon and that there was no further threat to the public’s safety.

FBI spokesman Kevin Smith said the agency’s bomb technicians were on their way to the scene, but he could not confirm media reports about a possible bomb or explosion at the clinic.

A spokeswoman for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms said members of its enforcement group were headed to the scene.

A state Department of Public Health spokesman said he didn’t immediately know if the clinic has been administering COVID-19 vaccinations.

The Midwest Medical Examiners Office, which handles cases in Wright County, had no comment on whether it had sent anyone to the scene.

North Memorial Health spokeswoman Abigail Greenheck said multiple victims were brought to its hospital in Robbinsdale. She did not say how many or what condition they were in.

Members of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms’ enforcement group and special agents from the state’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension also responded.

The clinic is set off at the edge of Buffalo near an old red barn with flaking paint. Dozens of emergency vehicles and law enforcement officers carrying guns were on the scene, setting up a perimeter. TV footage showed little activity at the clinic itself, but several shattered plate-glass windows could be seen. At least two windows were shattered a nearby motel.

More than three hours after the attack, law enforcement moved to cordon off a neighborhood about a mile from the clinic. An ATF agent on the edge of the perimeter declined to talk to an AP reporter.

At least a half-dozen law enforcement vehicles were gathered near a small mobile home park near Pulaski Lake in the city. A woman from the sheriff’s office who declined to identify herself said they were executing a search warrant in connection to the clinic shooting. She declined to give any additional information.

A state Department of Public Health spokesman said he didn’t immediately know if the clinic has been administering COVID-19 vaccinations. An Allina spokesman referred all questions to the Buffalo police and the Wright County Sheriff’s Office.