The suspected gunman who opened fire on an El Cajon dentist office Thursday afternoon, killing one and injuring two others, was described as a “disgruntled” former patient, police said on Friday.
Mohammed Abdulkareem, 29, was arrested several hours after the 4:15 p.m. shooting at Smile Plus Dentistry & Orthodontics. El Cajon police said a community member alerted the San Diego Police Department after spotting the rented U-Haul pickup Abdulkareem was thought to have fled in near Sixth Avenue and Quince Street in Bankers Hill, near Balboa Park, about 9:10 p.m.
San Diego officers responded to the location and found the truck empty but located Abdulkareem in the area a short time later, police said. He was found with a loaded handgun and several loaded magazines, police said.
Records indicate Abdulkareem legally purchased the weapon two weeks before the shooting, according to police.
Although the motive behind the shooting remains under investigation, police said Friday that Abdulkareem was a former patient of the dental office. He is currently jailed on suspicion of murder and attempted murder.
“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,” the department said in a statement.
Thursday’s shooting evolved quickly.
Officers arrived at the location on North Magnolia Avenue near East Madison Avenue two minutes after the gunfire was reported, police said. Officers found three victims: two men and a woman. One of the men, whose name has not been released, died of his wounds at the office. The other two were taken to a hospital in serious condition.
Witnesses spotted the gunman leaving in the white U-Haul, and the police department was able to use its license plate reader system to get a license plate and a photograph of the vehicle. Investigators used the license plate information to determine the truck had been rented in San Diego shortly before the shooting — at 3:30 p.m., according to police radio traffic.
The department released information about the vehicle to the public, and a community member spotted it several hours later.
A variety of law enforcement agencies assisted in the investigation.
Anyone with information about the shooting was asked to call the El Cajon Police Department at (619) 579-3311 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at (888)-580-8477.
