Featured image via Shutterstock and does not show Arianna Delane. Photo for representational purposes only.
A 4-year-old girl who was shot in southwest Houston on New Year’s Day has been identified as Arianna Delane — the niece of George Floyd, who was killed by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin in 2020.
The little girl’s father, Derrick Delane, said their apartment was hit several times by gunfire just before 3 a.m. on Jan. 1st. Arianna, who was sleeping in the second-story front bedroom, was severely injured.
“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 recalled to ABC affiliate KTRK. “She didn’t know what was going on. She was asleep.”
Arianna’s mother drove her to the hospital, where she underwent surgery for a punctured lung and liver and three broken ribs. She remains hospitalized, but is stabilized.
On Tuesday, Houston police revealed that they have not yet identified a suspect, or a motive for the crime.
“Why would my house get shot up?” Delane said to KRTK. “My daughter don’t know. I can’t explain that to her. As the father, you’re supposed to protect the kids.”
Arianna’s father claims that police didn’t arrive on the scene until 7 a.m., more than four hours after the incident occurred. On late Tuesday afternoon, Houston Police Chief Troy Finner launched an investigation into the department’s response time, and addressed the concerns in a statement.
“I am aware and have concerns regarding the delayed response time in this incident and have initiated an Internal Affairs investigation,” Finner said. “I ask [that] 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.”
