A man police say was a disgruntled former patient stormed into a California dentist’s office last week and shot three people, killing a dentist.
The shooting took place Thursday at Smile Plus Dentistry & Orthodontics in El Cajon, according to the New York Post. The alleged gunman,Mohammed Abdulkareem, 29, was later arrested after a five-hour manhunt.
The website the Yeshiva World identified the slain man as Dr. Benjamin Harouni, a dentist who worked at the dental practice owned by his father.
Receptionist Yareli Carrillo, 28, and a man in his 40s were wounded, the outset said.
According to an Instagram post, Harouni had turned 29 only days before he was killed.
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The Anti-Defamation League in San Diego said that the man killed was Jewish, although police have said they have not yet found any connection between rising anti-Semitism and the shooting, the Post reported.
Still, the pro-Israel group Stand With Us called for the slaying to be treated as a hate crime.
We are heartbroken and outraged to learn of the murder of Dr. Benjamin Harouni at his dental practice in San Diego at the hands of one of his patients, Mohammed Abdulkareem. Benjamin was an inaugural member of the StandWithUs high school internship program in 2012. Media outlets… pic.twitter.com/HVrHa1HqGp
— StandWithUs (@StandWithUs) March 1, 2024
According to a statement from the El Cajon police, Abdulkareem, was reported to have left the dental office in a white U-Haul rental pickup truck.
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Noting that Abdulkareem was a former patient, the statement added, “While the exact motive behind the shooting remains under investigation, it is believed that Abdulkareem was a disgruntled former customer.”
Police said social media outlets were flooded with descriptions of the truck, which had been rented in San Diego the day of the shooting.
About five hours after the shooting, San Diego police were informed that the truck had been sighted. Police responded, eventually located Abdulkareem, and arrested him.
Police said Abdulkareem was arrested without any incident.
El Cajon, San Diego County — In a deadly shooting story not getting much media attention, suspect Mohammed Abdulkareem is accused of opening fire on a dental office, killing a Jewish dentist and injuring two others. Police say at this point there is no indication the shooting was… pic.twitter.com/y2LDVQwvS5
— Andy Ngô 🏳️🌈 (@MrAndyNgo) March 2, 2024
At the time of his arrest, Abdulkareem had a legally purchased loaded handgun and several loaded handgun magazines, police said.
Police said they learned the gun was purchased two weeks before the shooting.
Abdulkareem is currently in San Diego County Central Jail on charges that include one count of murder and two counts of attempted murder.
Anwer Abdulkareem, the brother of the suspect, said his brother had been acting oddly of late, according to NBC.
“He needed help. He had fear, he had paranoia. He was thinking everyone was after him, there’s a gang, there’s a cartel. He was seeing stuff that was not happening,” he said.
