EL CAJON, Calif. (KGTV) — The mom of a survivor of a shooting at an El Cajon dental office shared her daughter’s account of the terrifying ordeal.
It was near closing time, past 4 p.m. two Thursdays ago when a gunman burst into the Smile Plus dental office in El Cajon.
Esperanza Carrillo says her daughter, Yareli, a receptionist at the dentistry, was at the front desk when a man in a hoodie came in with a gun and started shooting.
“He was shooting at the manager and shot Yareli. He just kept shooting. He didn't say anything,” Carrillo said.
Carrillo said her daughter was shot in the thigh and scrambled to a back office, but she would not get away from the gunman.
“He found her and pointed a gun at her. She screamed, ‘Please stop! Please stop!’ She thought she was going to die. She kept thinking about her 9 -month-old son. Then the man turned and left the room,” Carrillo said.
Prosecutors say during a terrifying minute, the suspect fired 23 rounds, wounding Yareli and an office manager. 28-year-old dentist Ben Harouni was shot and killed.
The suspect, Mohammed Abdulkareem, described by police as a disgruntled patient, was arrested hours after the shooting.
The bullet that entered Yareli's right hip ended up in her left thigh, where it remains. It avoided any major arteries. Yareli was released from the hospital six days after the shooting.
“We are blessed. We are lucky it could have been worse. We are so sad for the other families affected,” Carrillo said.
A few days ago, Yareli took her first steps with the help of a walker.
Besides the physical scars, there are mental ones beneath the smile seen in a hospital bed photo.
“She's not doing well. She is still scared. She panics, cries and has bad dreams,” said Carrillo.
As Yareli heals, she and her family say they will follow the legal process as the accused shooter faces charges.
“We just pray to God there’s justice served and no more violence like that,” said Carrillo.
Abdulkareem has pleaded not guilty to murder and other charges and will next appear in court in May.
A GoFundMe campaign has been started to help the Carrillo family with medical and other expenses.
