George Floyd’s four-year-old great-niece, Arianna Delane, was shot at her home in South Houston over the weekend.
She was shot in her bed by a gunman during a ‘targeted attack’ on her family’s Texas home and is being treated for a punctured lung, liver, and three broken ribs
The youngster was shot in the torso while she was asleep in her bed leaving her with a punctured lung and liver together with three broken ribs.
Two children and four adults were inside the apartment at the time of the incident on Saturday at 3 am.
The family says they know who carried out the shooting which took place on New Year’s Day, but no motive has been shared.
The four-year-old great-niece of George Floyd has been shot in her bed, during a ‘targeted attack’ on her Texas apartment in the middle of the night.
Arianna Delane is expected to survive but had to undergo surgery in Houston over the weekend after bullets punctures her lung and liver, leaving her with three broken ribs.
So far, police have not revealed a motive nor have they provided a description of the shooter. But the family have said they know who opened fire and have suggested the shooting was targeted, without commenting further on a possible motive.
Several bullets struck the home leaving holes in various walls and doors to the building
Gunshots were fired randomly by suspects into the family home on the second floor at around 3 am on Saturday.
At the time of the shooting, there were six people inside the property in south Houston with four adults and two children all asleep, with Arianna in her bed in a front bedroom.
‘My daughter jumped up and said, ‘Daddy, I been hit,” her father, Derrick Delane told ABC 13.
‘I was shocked until I seen the blood and I realized my four-year-old daughter was really hit,’ Delane recalled. ‘She didn’t know what was going on. She was asleep.’
Arianna was shot in the torso while she was asleep in her bed leaving her with a punctured lung and liver together with three broken ribs.
The little girl was asleep in a front bedroom of the apartment on the second floor when the attack occurred
The attack took place at the home in South Houston over the weekend
Delane said that he hoped his daughter would still be able to achieve her dream of becoming a dancer or cheerleader.
‘Why would my house get shot up?’ Delane asked. ‘My daughter don’t know. I can’t explain that to her. As the father, you’re supposed to protect the kids.
‘She’s healing very fast. The last time I checked on her she was breathing on her own. She was doing great,’ Delane said speaking of her recovery.
The family have also claimed that the police did not arrive until 7 am – four hours after the incident occurred.
An investigation is now underway to examine why the police response was so delayed.
‘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 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,’ Houston Police Chief Troy Finner said in a statement.
Arianna had been seen at several Black Lives Matter protests the followed the killing of her great uncle, George Floyd.
She was related to George through her grandmother, LaTonya, who was his sister.
On May 25, 2020, George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, was killed in Minneapolis, Minnesota during an arrest for allegedly using a counterfeit bill. White police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck for almost nine minutes while handcuffed face down in the street, begging for his life and repeatedly saying “I can’t breathe”.
