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The 4-year-old niece of George Floyd is recovering in a hospital in Texas after a shooting took place on New Year’s Day.
Floyd's murder by a Minnesota police officer in 2020 sparked protests globally to demand justice for Floyd and police reform. Now, his family is crying for justice again.
Arianna Delane was asleep in the front room of the Houston home. Around 3 a.m., an unknown shooter fired several shots into their second-story apartment.
She was hit in the torso causing a punctured lung and liver, as well as three broken ribs. Arianna was rushed to the hospital for surgery early New Year's morning.
Derrek Delane, her father, told ABC13 News about the moment it happened:
“My daughter jumped up and said, ‘Daddy, I’ve been hit,’ and I was shocked until I seen the blood and I realized my 4-year-old daughter was really hit."
A family friend said she was able to walk for the first time since the incident on Tuesday.
The apartment where the shooting took place was the same home where Floyd's family gathered to watch the verdict of former police officer Derek Chauvin's murder trial.
While Arianna was immediately brought to the hospital by her mother, it took four hours for police to arrive on the scene.
Houston Police Chief Troy Finner announced Tuesday he initiated an internal investigation to see why the response was so delayed.
Finner's message was tweeted from the Huston Police account:
"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."
Statement from Police Chief @TroyFinner regarding the January 1 shooting of a 4-year-old female at 3322 Yellowstone Boulevard. \n\nMore info https://bit.ly/3sUb0nL\u00a0\n\n#HouNewspic.twitter.com/IsTwVM9UMl— Houston Police (@Houston Police) 1641339603
No further official comments have been made.
But Derrek Delane believes this was a targeted attack:
"Why would my house get shot up?"
"My daughter don't know."
"I can't explain that to her."
"As the father, you're supposed to protect the kids."
Word of the delayed action from the police has sparked outrage and suspicion.
Four hours to respond? Very suspicious.— Miriam Stevens\ud83c\udf10 (@Miriam Stevens\ud83c\udf10) 1641361706
You gave whoever it was a four hour headstart. They could have gotten a couple hundred miles away by then.— Astrid Kaysen (@Astrid Kaysen) 1641392579
FOUR HOURS for a shooting that involved a FOUR YEARD OLD\u2026. there\u2019s no excuse!!!— malu (@malu) 1641414706
4 hours to respond to the shooting of a 4 year old - and yet the police claim that we must keep increasing their funding because they protect us from violent crime.— Toothbrush Hunter (@Toothbrush Hunter) 1641403413
put yourself in their place for a second: you're at home, a shooting wakes you up, your 4yo daughter has been hit. you call the police. they take 4 hours to reach your home. you have to drive your girl to the hospital by yourself. no suspects. say her name, Arianna Delane— \u064b (@\u064b) 1641418453
TW // racism , violence \n\nArianna Delane. A four year old girl who was shot while she was sleeping in her bed and the police took HOURS to arrive. Say her name, we need to get it trending.\n\nLinks below will help you better educate yourselves and also give you ways you can help.— daily bts as cats \ud83d\udc3e (@daily bts as cats \ud83d\udc3e) 1641421898
THIS is arianna delane. this is the little girl you\u2019re talking about, she\u2019s not just george floyd\u2019s niece. say *HER* name.pic.twitter.com/kl61N8YGht— em (@em) 1641422899
"no motive" they say but it wouldn't be too hard to find out where Floyd's family is staying..I feel like we all kinda know the answer— V OST\u2077 (@V OST\u2077) 1641425003
SAY HER NAME EVERYWHERE. ARIANNA DELANE.pic.twitter.com/E2t6iUd7qG— mina\u2077 (busy) (@mina\u2077 (busy)) 1641425382
If you don't suspect #AriannaDelane was targeted and shot by the police in retaliation then I don't know what to tell you.https://twitter.com/MycahABC13/status/1478778572844290051\u00a0\u2026— new year, new naomi \ud83d\ude24 (@new year, new naomi \ud83d\ude24) 1641406655
politically and racially motivated , no one can tell me otherwise— moe\u2661 (@moe\u2661) 1641431833
The police have yet to identify any suspects in this case.