Jewish dentist Dr. Benjamin Harouni was killed and two other people were wounded in a shooting at a dental office in El Cajon, California on Thursday, El Cajon Police and local authorities said on Friday.
El Cajon resident Mohammed Abdulkareem, 29, was arrested without incident on Thursday after he had fled the crime scene in a white U-Haul rental pickup truck. Investigators released photographs of the vehicle and located the suspect with the tip of a citizen to the San Diego Police Department.
A loaded handgun, which the suspect had purchased two weeks prior, and several magazines were found on Abdulkareem. The suspect was charged with murder and two counts of attempted murder.
The police said that the motive remains under investigation but believe that Abdulkareem was a disgruntled former patient of SmilePlus Dentistry.
Jake Harouni, the victim's brother, wrote on Instagram on Saturday that "Those saying this was not a hate crime need to rethink what they define as hate. My brother was murdered in cold blood, yet the internet and media want to spin the narrative around and blame this on the murderer being deranged. You can be both deranged and have hate in your heart."
Pro-Israel organization StandWithUs, who said that the victim was a 2012 member of their high school internship program, called on law enforcement to investigate the murder as a hate crime.
"Media outlets have been dismissing the shooting as a result of mental instability, as they often do when Jews are the victims of murderous hate," StandWithUs wrote on social media on Saturday.
The El Cajon addressed suspicions about Abdulkareem's motives on Saturday, saying, "The shooting at the dentist’s office yesterday is heartbreaking and traumatic for the families involved as well as our community at large. We understand there are concerns about the suspect’s motive. 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."
“The El Cajon Police Department mourns with the family and friends of the deceased victim and extends heartfelt condolences to those injured in yesterday's senseless and evil act of violence," said El Cajon Police Chief Mike Moulton. "I would like to extend my gratitude to our local, state, and national law enforcement partners who assisted us during this tragic event."
California Senate Minority leader Brian Jones also thanked law enforcement for their operations and called on the suspect to "be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law."
The victims of the shooting
"My heartfelt condolences go out to Ben Harouni’s family and friends," Jones wrote on X. "The Harouni family’s contributions to dentistry are renowned across the state, making this loss deeply felt in our community."
Harouni's brother said that the family would be setting up an organization called Humans Against Hate in his name and called on others to donate on GoFundMe.
"It starts with us first addressing the fact that there is still lots of hate in this world, whether because of religion, race, or sexuality," wrote Jake Harouni. "This hate needs to end. As a Persian-Jewish American, I have always felt so scared and vulnerable during these times of hatred. Now that it is at my front door, it feels much more real and urgent."
A candlelight vigil was set to be held on Sunday evening. According to Harouni, security will be provided by the El Cajon Police.
The victim, a graduate of the University of Southern California and the Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry had celebrated his birthday recently on February 20.
"Happy birthday Dr. Ben Harouni and many more years to come," said the dentist office's social media account.