Hospital worker allegedly killed by ex-husband was ‘crying out for help,’ family says

DETROIT (WXYZ) - The family of a Detroit hospital worker who was allegedly killed by her ex-husband is still grappling with her death, describing her as “a woman crying out for help” in the months before the fatal shooting.

Detroit Police confirmed Saturday that 53-year-old Mario Green was arrested around 3 a.m. He is accused of fatally shooting his ex-wife, 40-year-old Latricia Green, at Henry Ford Hospital, where she worked.

“Our officers worked tirelessly to get this monster off the street,” said Detroit Police Chief Todd Bettison in a statement. “No person deserves what happened to Ms. Latricia Green and my heart and prayers go out to her family.”

Police say Mario Green walked into the hospital just before 10 a.m. Friday and headed to the basement, where his ex-wife worked. Witnesses said he claimed he was dropping off some of her belongings, according to police sources.

Leticia Green reportedly asked the suspect to leave, and they began to argue. That’s when Mario Green allegedly pulled out a gun and shot the victim multiple times. Police say he fled the scene in a white Dodge Charger.

The hospital was placed on lockdown for a short time.

A few hours after the shooting, Mario Green’s car was found abandoned in a Detroit neighborhood, but the suspect was not found until early Saturday morning.

Deantjuan Jones is Latricia Green’s cousin. He and other family members are numb, still grappling with the fact she was shot and killed.

“She was such a sweet person. She didn’t deserve what happened to her at all,” Jones said.

Devin Wilford and others who worked with the victim are also devastated by what unfolded.

“She was magnificent,” Wilford said. “She was more than a friend. She was a mother, she was a wife, she did her job.”

Court records show the Greens divorced in 2018, but just a few months ago, in June, police say Latricia Green filed for a personal protection order against her ex-husband. She accused him of harassing and stalking her, including showing up at her job.

The judge denied that order, but Latricia Green sought another in July, saying Mario Green’s behavior had escalated. She claimed he had broken into her car, stolen and cut up her belongings and tried to break her car window on multiple occasions.

“I have tried being cordial because I feel that the system has now let me down each time that I have tried to make reports on this man,” wrote Latricia Green in her July application. “I am asking for help before this goes too far, and things are too late.”

This time, a judge granted the order, deeming Mario Green posed a threat to his ex-wife, but police say it was never served to him.

“We’re not sitting here gonna point the finger, but at the same time, she was a woman crying out for help,” said Latricia Green’s cousin, Rodney Hickman.

Mario Green had prior convictions of aggravated stalking back in 2001 and spent almost six years in prison for arson before being released in 2012, according to the Michigan Department of Corrections.

The hospital released a statement regarding the shooting, writing in part, “We are devastated by the loss of our Henry Ford Hospital teammate, and our hearts go out to her loved ones—her family, friends, and the people she worked with every day.”

The hospital says it is cooperating with the police investigation as well as conducting its own internal investigation.