A disgruntled ex-patient, Mohammed Abdulkareem, bottom inset (via El Cajon police), allegedly shot up a dentist’s office near San Diego, California, killing Benjamin Harouni, top inset (via Smile Plus Dentistry), and injuring two others. Cops say Abdulkareem fled in a U-Haul pickup truck (left inset via KFMB). San Diego police later arrested the suspect. (Screenshot: KFMB/YouTube)
A “disgruntled” ex-patient walked into his former dentist’s office on Thursday and shot three people, including one fatally, authorities say.
The incident happened just after 4 p.m. in El Cajon, California, a suburb of San Diego. The El Cajon Police Department received calls about shots fired inside the Smile Plus dentist’s office at 480 N. Magnolia Ave. Officers arrived to find two men and one woman suffering from gunshot wounds. One of the men, 28-year-old dentist Benjamin Harouni, died on the scene while the other two victims were rushed to the hospital in serious but stable condition.
Cops identified the suspect as 29-year-old El Cajon resident Mohammed Abdulkareem and learned he fled the scene in a white U-Haul pickup truck. License plate readers picked up the truck’s tag. The department released suspect and vehicle information to local media.
Just after 9 p.m. Thursday, a citizen called San Diego police after seeing the U-Haul truck near 6th Avenue and Quince Street. Officers responded and found Abdulkareem nearby. He allegedly had a gun that he purchased about two weeks ago, along with several handgun magazines. Abdulkareem faces charges of murder and two counts of attempted murder and was taken to San Diego County Central Jail where he’s being held without bond.
Detectives believe he was a “disgruntled former customer” although they didn’t specify why he was upset or whether Harouni was his intended target.
“The El Cajon Police Department mourns with the family and friends of the deceased victim and extends heartfelt condolences to those injured in [Friday’s] senseless and evil act of violence,” El Cajon police Chief Mike Moulton said in a statement.
Police addressed concerns that Harouni may have been targeted due to his Jewish faith.
“While we are still in the early stages of the investigation, we want to make it clear that there is no indication the attack was racially or politically motivated. As we continue to conduct a thorough investigation, we will keep the community informed of any new developments,” the agency posted on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
The Anti-Defamation League’s regional director for San Diego said it has been in contact with law enforcement and noted the ADL’s Center on Extremism has so far not discovered any extremist or hate-related motivation behind the shooting.
Harouni’s family laid him to rest on Sunday and held a vigil in his honor.
“I just wish that I could tell him I love him,” Harouni’s younger brother Jacob said, according to local NBC affiliate KNSD. “I don’t think I told him that enough. I wish I could hug him — hug him really tight. I miss him so much.”
Jacob Harouni said their father, a dentist himself, tried to persuade his brother to pursue a career outside of dentistry. But Benjamin Harouni was insistent.
“He said, ‘No, this is what I want to do. I want to take care of people. I want to help people and literally make people smile,”” the brother reportedly said.
Abdulkareem has a court date scheduled for Tuesday.
