On February 29, 2024, 28-year-old Dr. Benjamin Harouni, a dentist at Smile Plus Dentistry & Orthodontics in El Cajon, California, was fatally shot inside his workplace. A 29-year-old assailant, identified as Mohammed Abdulkareem, entered the office and opened fire. Two other people were wounded: 27-year-old receptionist Yareli Carrillo, shot in the legs, and a man in his 40s; both were taken to a local hospital and are expected to recover.

Abdulkareem fled in a white U-Haul pickup truck but was tracked using the city’s license plate reader system and arrested near Balboa Park in San Diego the same evening. He was in possession of a legally purchased handgun and several loaded magazines and has been charged with multiple felonies, including one count of murder and two counts of attempted murder. Dr. Harouni, a recent graduate of the University of the Pacific Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry, worked with his father, Dr. Jack Harouni, at the family practice and was remembered at a funeral and vigil as kind, generous, and devoted to helping others.

A family foundation called Hearts Over Hate was started in his memory to support families of victims of violent crime. The exact motive remains under investigation; initial reports describe Abdulkareem as a disgruntled former patient. If anyone has information about the shooting or knew Dr. Harouni, please share what you know.