Mother of Christina Green, slain in Arizona shootings, mourns loss

She was born on the day of the worst terrorist attack on the United States and she was shot to death during an Arizona rampage that killed six and critically wounded a congresswoman and 13 others.

On Sunday, Roxanna Green, the mother of the slain 9-year-old Christina Taylor Green, called for an end to the violence that had shattered her world.

“I just want her memory to live on, that she’s a face of hope, face of change, face of … us coming together as a country to stop the violence and hatred and the evil wars,” Green said on MSNBC. “We have to protect our government officials and our innocent young children.”

Green said her daughter went to meet Rep. Gabrielle Giffords at the suggestion of a neighbor, who was interested in politics. The market where the shooting took place is about five minutes from the child’s home.

“I never thought in a million years this tragedy would happen,” Green said.

The child was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital.

“She was a beautiful girl and she would want us all to be strong and courageous like she was,” Green said. “She was a wonderful girl for the nine years she was here on Earth and she did amazing things. I know that her memory is going to go on forever and ever.”

Green was the daughter of Dodgers baseball scout John Green and the granddaughter of former baseball manager Dallas Green, who won a World Series title with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1980.

“The Phillies organization expresses our heartfelt condolences to Dallas and Sylvia and the entire Green family on the senseless, tragic loss of Christina’s life,” team president David Montgomery said in a prepared statement on Sunday. “She was a talented young girl with a bright, promising future.

Dodgers owner Frank McCourt mourned the loss in a statement Saturday night.

“We lost a member of the Dodgers family today. The entire Dodgers organization is mourning the death of John’s daughter Christina and will do everything we can to support John, his wife Roxana and their son Dallas in the aftermath of this senseless tragedy. I spoke with John earlier today and expressed condolences on behalf of the entire Dodgers organization.”

michael.muskal@latimes.com

Twitter.com /LATimesmuskal