Police: Suspect in fatal shooting at Detroit's Henry Ford Hospital in custody

DETROIT — The suspect in the fatal shooting inside Henry Ford Hospital on Friday is now in custody, Detroit police said Saturday.

Mario Green, 53, had been on the run since he allegedly shot his ex-wife, Latricia Green, an employee at the hospital on Friday morning, and was presumed to be armed and dangerous, Detroit Police Chief Todd Bettison said.

Sgt. Daron Zhou said Green was taken into custody without incident shortly before 3 a.m. in 5200 block of Lemay Street.

"Our officers worked tirelessly to get this monster of the street," Bettison said in a statement Saturday.

Bettison thanked the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Michigan State Police, FBI, Wayne County Sheriff's Office, Wayne County Prosecutor's Office and Henry Ford Hospital's Security Police for their assistance "along with the community who gave us numerous tips about the suspect.

"No person deserves what happened to Ms. Latricia Green and my heart and prayers go out to her family."

Green's record shows he was released from probation in June for failing to pay child support, one of multiple convictions on his record that include aggravated stalking and arson.

Green, who also has multiple probation violations, targeted his ex-wife, in the basement of the hospital's main campus Friday morning, Bettison said. Bettison said police reviewed video surveillance and learned Green argued with his 40-year-old former spouse around 9:55 a.m.

"He produced a handgun and fired multiple shots, killing his ex-wife," the police chief said.

Green then left the hospital in a white 2011 Dodge Charger with the license plate number of DXC 7067. Police found the car later Friday in Detroit near the corner of Lahser and Troy Street.

The 6-foot-4 Detroit resident was wearing a gold chain and last seen driving north on the Lodge Freeway, Bettison said Friday morning: "We expect to have him in custody ... very shortly, but we are asking for the community's help."

Meanwhile, the hospital went into lockdown as law enforcement descended on the scene.

After the suspect fled, Dana Jay, the public relations manager at Henry Ford Health, said an "all-clear" was given at the hospital and the lockdown lifted. She referred questions to the Detroit Police Department.

Bettison noted there "is no longer an active situation at the hospital, although it is an active crime scene."

Authorities confirmed that Michigan State Police were assisting with the investigation while the FBI confirmed in a statement that its "personnel were present earlier today (Friday) in the Henry Ford Hospital area, located in Detroit, Michigan, conducting law enforcement activities.”

An hour after the shooting, dozens of police cars and ambulances blocked off side streets leading to the hospital, and a helicopter flew overhead. Employees and doctors were allowed in, while others were turned away.

Earlier, there was a drive-by shooting a little before 5 a.m. Friday about four blocks from the hospital around Linwood and West Grand that killed one man and wounded another. Police said the shootings were not believed to be connected.

About the suspect, victim

Green was released from probation June 12 after serving three years for failing to pay child support, according to online court records. He pleaded guilty to aggravated stalking in 2001 and was released from probation in 2005 after violating the terms of his probation three times.

In 2006, Green was convicted of arson, and he spent six years in prison before his 2012 release. Green, who has the word "son" tattooed on his left forearm, "gods" on his right forearm and a tiger on his back, was also ordered by the court to take anger management courses.

Devin Wilford identified the victim as former colleague Latricia Green, known to friends as Latrice.

Green worked in basement housekeeping, said Wilford, who left the hospital this year.

Wilford found out Green was the victim a few hours after the shooting, a block from the hospital, and collapsed to the ground crying while friends held her and brought water.

"She was humble, she was quiet, she was to herself," Wilford said through tears. "She did her job. ... She wasn't (a) drama-type person. She kept it moving."

Wilford added: "You wouldn't ever even thought something like this would happen to her."

In a statement Friday afternoon, Henry Ford Health officials 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. Police have confirmed this was a targeted act of domestic violence."

Hospital officials added that they are cooperating with police while conducting their own internal investigation.

"We understand this tragedy is wide-reaching and we recognize and sympathize with the pain this has caused," Henry Ford Health officials said. "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. The hospital is back open to all patients and visitors."

Online court records show Latricia Green initially filed for divorce from Mario Green in September 2017 but the case was disposed in December. The following March, Mario filed for a divorce, which was granted in July.

Latricia Green had filed for a personal protection order June 13 in Wayne County Circuit Court, according to a WXYZ-TV (Channel 7) report. Green told the court that Mario had been calling her at work and even showed up at the hospital against her wishes.

Her initial application was denied, WXYZ reported, and she filed again on July 20, this time complaining that her ex had broken into her car, stolen her belongings and vandalized her property.

"I feel that the system has now let me down each time that I have tried to make reports on this man," Latricia Green said in her July 20 application, according to the TV news station. "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."

That protection order was granted, but authorities told WXYZ that it was never served to Mario Green.

'Just doesn’t make any sense'

Earlene Ingram arrived at the hospital this morning because her mom was having outpatient surgery in the basement, where the shooting occurred. She was separated from her mom when shortly after 10 a.m. shots were fired, sirens sounded and doctors started telling everyone to run to certain rooms, lock themselves in and turn off phones.

Her mother is doing “pretty good," Ingram said. "She was stressed out for a second, but she’s alright.”

During the shooting, some took chairs to block doors. Ingram, who was in a different room from her mom, recalled feeling nervous about being shot and felt “not safe at all."

Ingram’s aunt, Charlotte Bell-Davis, was waiting outside the hospital on the grass for her sister to finish surgery and for relatives to come out.

“Something needs to be done,” Bell-Davis said. “People shouldn’t feel like they’re caged in their homes, scared they’re going to go outside and get shot.”

Phylicia Richardson waited outside the hospital with her parents for a cousin and aunt to finish surgery and leave. “She’s shaken up, she’s scared, she’s never been through something like this,” Richardson said about her cousin.

The recent gun violence in Detroit alarmed her. “This has been going on a lot lately, and it’s bad," she said.

Her father, Jeffrey Davis, said he often comes to Henry Ford Health for his chemotherapy treatments. He called the deadly violence “absolutely disturbing.”

News unnerves residents

Tia Lowe, who lives nearby, was on a call with her sister about her niece who works at Henry Ford when the shooting happened. Lowe said she believes the area was blocked off for about 40 minutes, and she couldn’t park her car in front of her house. Instead, she said she had to carry her stuff and walk there.

Lowe described the situation as devastating” and "mind-boggling."

“You don’t expect that kind of stuff here, especially at a hospital. It’s horrible," she said. “And I feel for the young lady’s family who lost her life because of this."

News of the tragedy also unnerved Earl Willy Parks, 62, a resident at Lexington Village next to the hospital.

While sitting outside and watching the police cars and crime scene tape, he described the shooting as "horrible."

Such violence, especially in a hospital, "just doesn’t make any sense," Parks said.

Violence at other hospitals

The incident was the latest in a growing trend of violence at U.S. hospitals. Health care workers have reported increased violence in hospitals in recent years. While health care employees are 10% of the U.S. workforce, they report 48% of nonfatal injuries from workplace violence, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

A survey of emergency room doctors by the American College of Emergency Physicians in 2024 found that 91% said they had either been a victim of violence or knew a colleague who had been, while most respondents said hospital violence is getting worse.

In June, the American Hospital Association released a report, “The Burden of Violence to U.S. Hospitals,” which found that “the total annual financial cost of violence to hospitals in 2023 is estimated at $18.27 billion.”

Friday's shooting is also the latest incident involving gun violence at a Metro Detroit hospital.

In March, a shooting involving two employees happened inside a parking structure at Corewell Health Beaumont Troy Hospital, one of Oakland County's largest hospitals.

The shooting happened around 7 a.m. as the victim, a 25-year-old Troy man, pulled into the parking garage. Police said the suspect followed him shortly and fired at least five shots, striking the victim twice in the arm.

The suspect, Frederik Stolaj, 21, of Washington Township was arraigned on charges last month.

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(Staff writer Charles E. Ramirez contributed.)

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