EL CAJON (CNS) — An allegedly disgruntled former patient of an El Cajon dental clinic accused of bursting into the office last week and shooting three employees, including a young dentist who died, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to murder and attempted murder charges.
Mohammed Sabah Abdulkareem, 29, of El Cajon, is accused of gunning down dentist Benjamin Harouni, 28, and two other employees of Smile Plus Dentistry & Orthodontics last Thursday.
Abdulkareem, who was arrested later that night near Balboa Park, remains in custody without bail following Tuesday's arraignment.
He faces more than 100 years to life in state prison if convicted of all charges.
Read more: Family, friends remember 28-year-old dentist shot and killed in El Cajon
Deputy District Attorney John Philpott said Abdulkareem had repeatedly gone to the dental office over a six-month period and expresse dissatisfaction with dental work he received there. The prosecutor said his behavior became erratic during that time and staff at the dental office were "afraid of him.''
On Feb. 29, Abdulkareem allegedly entered the office at about 4:15 p.m. and without saying anything, immediately started firing, the prosecutor said.
In about one minute's time, around two dozen rounds were fired, according to Philpott.
Harouni, who was attempting to hide behind a door, was struck multiple times in his upper body, the prosecutor said. He died at the scene.
An office manager was struck in the hand, elbow and torso, while a female employee was shot in the legs. Both are expected to survive.
Related: Reactions to the death of dentist from a shooting in El Cajon
Abdulkareem then allegedly fled in a rented U-Haul truck, which was spotted around 9 p.m. that night by a person who had seen a publicly disseminated photo of the truck. Abdulkareem was arrested nearby and prosecutors say he had a handgun and ammunition consistent with the one used in the shooting.
Philpott said the gun believed to have been used in the shooting was legally purchased and Abdulkareem received it five days before the fatal gunfire.
Though various media organizations reported that the slain man was a member of the Orthodox Jewish faith and Abdulkareem is Muslim, police and the Anti-Defamation League stated that there was no immediate evidence the deadly firearm assault constituted a hate crime.
Philpott said Tuesday, "At this juncture, there does not seem to be a motivation that would be one of hatred towards any race or religion. I would caution that the investigation is ongoing and the DA's Office and law enforcement are going to continue to explore all avenues that may be leading to motives and what happened in this particular situation.''
Tuesday's hearing at the El Cajon courthouse was attended by dozens of Harouni's loved ones, including his parents.
Harouni's mother, Hilda Harouni, told reporters, "The loss is something I cannot explain. It truly feels like there's a hole in my heart.''
She said her son was kind and generous, and sought to provide dental work for those who could not afford it.
"He was an amazing human being and I'm not saying that because I'm his mother ... He wanted the world to be a better place,'' she said.
The victim's father, Jack Harouni, is also a dentist at Smile Plus, but was not working at the clinic on the day of the shooting.
He called Abdulkareem "a hateful, angry man'' and said his son "was only helping him as he helped everybody else.''
Jack Harouni said his son "was just an amazing young man with tremendous potential to help others and his life was cut short by a brutal, extreme violent act.''
His parents said Harouni had been working at the office since September 2022.
Since his killing, they've received numerous letters and well wishes from his patients and Hilda Harouni said the outpouring of support shows "the wealth of love he had spread during his short life.''
