Photos surface of wounded Calif. receptionist as her slain dentist boss is laid to rest

Newly revealed photos show the female receptionist wounded in a fatal attack at a Calforrnia dental clinic last week.

Newly revealed photos show the dental-clinic receptionist wounded by a “disgruntled” former patient when he opened fire at her California office, killing her dentist boss, who was buried Sunday.

Office worker Yareli Carrillo, 28, who was wounded in the leg during the Thursday afternoon attack in the San Diego suburb of El Cajon, was featured smiling on her birthday in 2022 — standing next to now-slain Dr. Benjamin Harouni — in a photo on the clinic’s Instagram page.

In another snapshot, she cuts cake as she celebrated her 2022 birthday with her coworkers at Smile Plus Dentistry & Orthodontics.

The photos surfaced as Harouni, 28, was laid to rest Sunday morning at El Camino Memorial Park in San Diego. Harouni ran the office with his father.

Police have arrested Mohammed Abdulkareem, described as a onetime patient at the clinic, on one count of murder and two counts of attempted murder in the slaying, records show.

Yarelli Carrillo, 28, was wounded during a shooting at a California dental clinic last week and is now recovering. Smile Plus Dentistry Instagram

Dr. Benjamin Harouni, who ran Smile Plus Dentistry with his father Jack in El Cajon, was shot and killed last week. Smile Plus Dentistry Instagram

“While the exact motive behind the shooting remains under investigation, it is believed that Abdulkareem was a disgruntled former customer,” El Cajon police said in a release Friday.

Carrillo, who was first identified by Yeshiva World, was wounded along with a 40-year-old employee.

The shooting appeared to have been planned out weeks in advance, according to cops.

Records show Abdulkareem legally purchased his handgun just two weeks earlier and rented a U-Haul pickup truck one hour before allegedly gunning down his ex-dentist.

Cops said the accused killer hopped behind the wheel of the truck after the shooting and fled the scene — but not before cops got his license-plate number and broadcast it.

Shortly after 9 p.m. Thursday, an alert good Samaritan then spotted the parked truck and tipped off the cops, who moved in and picked up the suspect nearby, the department said.

Abdulkareem, 29, is being held without bail at the San Diego Central Jail, records show.

After the arrest, El Cajon Police Chief Michael Moulton said the FBI helped in tracking him down.

Mohammed Abdulkareem, a disgruntled former patient, has been arrested in the murder. AP

Police say Abdulkareem rented a U-Haul pick up truck just one hour before he allegedly killed dentist Benjamin Harouni. AP

The Anti-Defamation League in San Diego said Friday that the victim of the shooting was a member of the Jewish community but said police have found no indication that his death was tied to antisemitism.

Smile Plus Dentistry lists Harouni as one of three doctors who work for his father Jack, who owns the office.

Harouni had celebrated his birthday just nine days before his slaying, according to a social media post.