When gunfire reached the second level of her home while she was asleep in her bedroom, George Floyd’s 4-year-old niece was shot in the early morning hours of New Year’s Day.
Arianna Delane was shot many times, according to a local story, and shouted out to her father, Derrick Delane, saying, “Daddy, I’ve been hit.” He stated he was surprised to see blood on his daughter.
Her mother hurried the small girl to the hospital. A punctured lung, three broken ribs, and a damaged liver necessitated surgery.
It’s possible, according to the girl’s father, that their home was targeted.
“Why would my house get shot up?” the father said. “My daughter don’t know. I can’t explain that to her. As the father, you’re supposed to protect the kids.”
Houston Police did not arrive at their Southwest Houston house until 7 a.m., according to Delane. About four hours and forty minutes after the shooting. An internal investigation into “the delayed reaction time,” according to Chief Troy Finner, has commenced.
“I am aware and have concerns regarding the delayed response time in this incident and have initiated an Internal Affairs investigation,” he said in a statement. “I ask the city to 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.”
Derrick Delane said his daughter is on the mend. “She’s healing very fastThelastt time I checked on her, she was breathing on her own. She was doing real great.”
There is presently no suspect in the Jan. 1 shooting, and anyone with information should contact Houston Police’s Major Assaults and Family Violence Division or Crime Stoppers at (713) 308-8800 or (713) 222-8477, respectively.
According to TMZ, Arianna is Floyd’s great-niece, who was murdered in May 2020 by Derek Chauvin, a now-former Minneapolis police officer who was convicted of his crime and sentenced to almost 20 years in prison.
In the aftermath of her great-murder, uncle’s young girl apparently attended some anti-police violence marches with her family.
Bianca, Arianna’s mother, is Floyd’s sister LaTonya’s daughter.
