Family, friends mourn slain Detroit hospital worker

Detroit -- Family, friends, and co-workers gathered Friday in a snow-covered parking lot at Sinai-Grace Hospital in Detroit for a vigil honoring slain respiratory therapist Tracie Alexander Golden, who was fatally shot last month on her way home from work. 

A few dozen mourners came together for the late afternoon event, bundled up in winter jackets and holding white candles as they joined in prayer to mark what would have been her 54th birthday. 

At the event, Alexander was remembered as a compassionate respiratory therapist and a dedicated union leader, who desired to fix racial disparities in health care.

“My mother would hold her patients' hands as they would pass away and she would FaceTime their families to make sure they were able to say their goodbyes," said her daughter, Bianca Alexander, wearing a long black winter jacket as snow began to fall. 

Bianca Alexander said the family worried about her mother's mental and physical safety during the pandemic, but understood that she wanted to be there for her community.

“In the grand scheme of things, my mother wanted a place where her community could be able to receive the care that they both wanted and deserved," she said.

Bianca also called on community leaders to address the causes of violence in the community, specifically pushing for more support for youth in the community, and creating a place where they can feel safe while also increasing access to mental health services. 

“What happened to my mother was a tragedy, and we cannot change that. But we can change the community we live in for the better in her memory,” she said.

“... I know my mother would be proud of me for carrying her work, for carrying on her work. I ask you all to join together to help make her wishes come true for her community.”

The victim’s husband, John Golden, thanked the community for their support in the weeks since his wife’s death.

“She was an incredible lady, incredible worker, incredible respiratory therapist. Incredible chief union steward. Incredible period,” he said. “I didn't know how many people's lives she had touched and our family is just grateful.”

The Detroit wife and mother was shot on Dec. 28 after stopping at a party store on her way home from work. The assailant shot Golden in the chest before driving away in her vehicle. 

Since the attack, police have arrested suspect Bradley Thurman.

The 19-year-old has been charged with premeditated first-degree murder, felony murder, armed robbery and felony firearm, according to the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office. Thurman is currently being held on a $4 million cash bond at the Wayne County jail.

Devin Kowalski, the assistant special agent in charge with the FBI Detroit office, has said the shooting was random. 

Lora Davis, 54, one of Golden’s coworkers at Sinai-Grace, said she was like a family member. 

Davis called the death an unfortunately common experience for a community that has been wracked by decades of racism and under-investment that have contributed to poverty, homelessness and mental health issues.

“We have a lot of health care workers in the community. We have a lot of challenges that we face day to day and ultimately we serve as a safety net provider to our community,” Davis said. "... A rebirth of our community has been extremely uneven. While downtown Detroit is growing, thriving, our community like ours are left to just get by."

Surrounded by a group of women wearing red sweatshirts emblazoned with the words “Put the guns down now,” the health care worker called for an end to the senseless crime and said she hoped to bring awareness and change through community outreach.

“We want this to end. I’m calling on all communities to help join us," she said. “Detroit is worth it. Let us invest in this community…to make it better for all of us.”