January 5, 2022
4-Year-Old Niece of George Floyd Struck By Bullet on New Year’s Day
Tragedy has struck the family of George Floyd once again.
After being killed in police custody in May 2020, Floyd’s 4-year-old niece was struck by a stray bullet while sleeping in her home in Houston on Jan. 1.
According to ABC13, the girl’s father, Derrick Delane, stated that he had just returned to his apartment in Houston after lighting fireworks at around 3 a.m. on Saturday when bullets started flying. As his daughter, Arianna Delane, slept in her bed, she was hit by one of the bullets in the torso.
“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,” Delane stated. “She didn’t know what was going on. She was asleep.”
This is 4-year-old Arianna. She was front and center at the marches and rallies in her Uncle George Floyd’s case.
On Saturday around 3 a.m., her father tells me she was asleep in her bed when someone fired several shots at their apartment. Arianna was hit in her torso. pic.twitter.com/Cpo1oFwase
— Mycah Hatfield (@MycahABC13) January 4, 2022
Although police were called, it took four hours for police officers to arrive at the apartment.
Arianna’s mother took her to the hospital, where she had surgery and was stabilized. She reportedly has a punctured lung and liver and three broken ribs. She is still in the hospital.
Houston police officials say that they do not have a suspect or motive in this case. Delane feels his home was targeted.
Meanwhile, an Internal Affairs investigation has been launched because of the department’s response time in the matter, announced Houston Police Chief Troy Finner, since police officers didn’t arrive until 7 a.m. A statement was also released regarding the incident from the Houston Police Department:
“A suspect or suspects fired several shots into an apartment at the above address as four adults and two children were inside the apartment. One of the children was struck in the torso. She was transported in a private vehicle to an area hospital where she underwent surgery and is currently in stable condition.
“At this time, there is no suspect description or motive in the shooting. “Anyone with information in this case is urged to contact the HPD Major Assaults & Family Violence Division at 713-308-8800 or Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.Statement from Police Chief @TroyFinner regarding the January 1 shooting of a 4-year-old female at 3322 Yellowstone Boulevard.
More info https://t.co/FlMEizyzl3#HouNews pic.twitter.com/IsTwVM9UMl
— Houston Police (@houstonpolice) January 4, 2022