A Michigan man is accused of killing his ex-wife inside the hospital where she worked, just weeks after she pleaded with a court for protection.
According to the Detroit Free Press and ABC News, 53-year-old Mario Green was arrested early Saturday, Aug. 23, nearly a day after police say he walked into Henry Ford Hospital and shot his ex-wife, Latricia Green.
Detroit Police Chief Todd Bettison told reporters that Mario went into the hospital basement Friday morning, Aug. 22, while Latricia was on the job. After a heated argument, he pulled out a gun and shot her several times before taking off. The hospital went on lockdown while police searched for him.
(Henry Ford Hospital)
Surveillance footage showed him leaving at 9:55 a.m., driving away in a 2011 white Dodge Charger. By late afternoon, police found the car abandoned. Just before 3 a.m. Saturday, they confirmed Mario was in custody.
In a statement to ABC News, Henry Ford Hospital said, “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. We are providing resources to our team members who are dealing with the impacts of this tragic incident. The safety and well-being of our patients, visitors and team members is our greatest priority.”
Local outlets WXYZ and FOX 2 reported that Latricia had tried twice to get a personal protection order against her ex. The first request was denied. The second, filed in July, was approved but never served.
On June 13, she wrote in court papers that Mario had been calling her job, threatening her coworkers, and even showing up at the hospital uninvited. A Wayne County judge turned down her request.
She filed again on July 20, saying things had gotten worse.
“Since I was denied, he has now been able to break into my car and cut up my clothes, shoes and steal belongings from me, and he followed me on multiple occasions and has tried to break my car window,” she wrote, according to WXYZ.
She told the court she felt abandoned by the system. “My father was murdered, and now with this situation I am in mental distress and scared not knowing what to do. I have to constantly look over my shoulder to make sure this man is not following me to hurt me like he has done in the past with physical abuse. I am asking for help before this goes too far, and things are too late.”
The judge granted the order on July 21. But Detroit Police Assistant Chief Charles Fitzgerald told WXYZ it was never served. “Unfortunately, [the PPO] was not served on her ex-husband,” he said. “So it almost brings us here today.”
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Family and friends say she made her fears clear. Her cousin Rodney Hickman told WXYZ that as recently as last week, Mario followed her home and forced her off the road. “She was a woman crying out for help,” he said.
Another cousin, Deantjuan Jones, said, “When you see his picture, it’s like, ‘I know him.’ And to think that it happened at the place where she worked.”
Latricia’s coworkers described her as a warm and dedicated person. “She was more than a friend,” said Devin Wilford. “She was a mother, she was a wife, she did her job.”
“She was such a sweet person. She didn’t deserve what happened to her at all,” Jones added.