‘I’m in a hard spot now.’ Patients left in limbo following deadly dental office shooting
EL CAJON, Calif. (FOX 5/KUSI) — A man suspected of killing one person and wounding two others in a shooting inside a dental office Thursday in El Cajon has been arrested. Authorities said he was believed to be a disgruntled former patient.
“I don’t know, I’m in a hard spot now. I really don’t know, I’m going to have to go home and think about it and see what I could do,” said Jerrad Payne, a patient of Smile Plus Dentistry in El Cajon.
Payne pulled up to his appointment at Smile Plus Dentistry in El Cajon on Friday, hoping to get his veneers replaced with crowns.
Payne explained about his teeth now, “they fall off like every day. I’m in a lot of pain. I actually have them glued on, gorilla glued onto my mouth. It’s horrible.”
‘Disgruntled former customer’ arrested in deadly El Cajon dental office shooting
Payne learned from FOX 5 about the shooting, and that the procedure he had been waiting on for three months was not going to happen. He said he hadn’t received a notice from the office about the cancellation yet.
“A notice just two days ago, making sure that I was going to be here today at 1 o’clock,” Payne said.
El Cajon Police said on Thursday, 29-year-old Mohammed Abdulkareem shot three people at the dental office located on North Magnolia Avenue, killing one and injuring two others.
The dental office’s website lists Dr. Jack Harouni as the owner.
“That’s a disappointment. I feel bad, I feel sorry for them. I don’t know what’s going on with this world,” Payne said.
After the shooting police said Adbulkareem drove away in a white U-Haul pickup truck.
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El Cajon Police said they quickly viewed the city’s flock license plate reader system and were able to obtain a license plate and photograph of the U-Haul.
Officers with San Diego Police later arrested Adbulkareem in the Balboa Park area with a loaded handgun and several loaded magazines. Police said records show Adbulkareem legally purchased the gun just two weeks ago.
Police described Adbulkareem as a “disgruntled former customer.”
Payne said he can understand, to an extent, after certain situations at the office.
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“Just the cancellation of stuff and them delaying the procedure because of insurance reasons, and prolonging it so long that it’s been about three months trying to get this done,” Payne said.
El Cajon Police said the relationship between the victims and Adbulkareem is unclear as of Friday.
The incident leaves patients like Payne in limbo.
“Seems like I’m going to be in pain and gluing my teeth on for a little while longer,” Payne said.
Adbulkareem is facing multiple felony charges, including murder and attempted murder, according to El Cajon Police.
However, police said, further investigation may reveal additional charges.
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