HOUSTON — A 4-year-old girl who was shot on New Year’s Day as she slept in her bed in Texas has been identified as George Floyd’s niece.
Several shots were fired into the Houston, Texas, apartment early Saturday morning, injuring the little girl inside, NBC News reported. Her father, Derrick Delane, identified her as Arianna Delane, and told KPRC that she suffered a punctured liver, lung, and several broken ribs but is healing and is expected to survive.
Derrick Delane told media that Houston police did not respond to his home until 7 a.m., more than four hours after the shooting, KTRK reported.
On Twitter, the department posted a statement from the chief saying “I am aware and have concerns regarding the delayed response time in this incident and have initiated an Internal Affairs investigation. I ask the city continue to pray for the child’s full recovery and assist in providing information that would lead to the arrest of the suspect or suspects responsible.”
Arianna previously attended demonstrations held in honor of her uncle, George Floyd, who died in May 2020 after then-Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for more than 9 minutes, NBC News reported.