George Floyd’s four-year-old niece shot while sleeping on New Year’s Day

Danny Jones

George Floyd's niece shot on New Year's Day

Truly horrific

In a shocking turn of events, George Floyd‘s niece, Arianna Delane, was reportedly shot in the early hours of New Year’s Day and is currently recovering in hospital.

Delane, who is just four years old, was hit by a bullet whilst sleeping after her Houston home was sprayed with bullets as the New Year celebrations spilled over into January 1.

As you can see in the ABC News report below, several bullet holes were left in the windows, doors and walls of the apartment – the very same location where family and friends gathered to watch the Derek Chauvin verdict late last year – the man responsible for killing the 46-year-old Floyd in May 2020.

https://twitter.com/abcWNN/status/1478659945184874499?s=20

While little detail is known about the attack, father Derrick believes the property was targeted. Arianna is related to Floyd through her grandmother and his sister, LaTonya.

After shots were fired, the child is reported to have told Derrick, “Daddy, I’ve been hit”; the bullet is also said to have punctured her lung and broken three of her ribs. ABC‘s Mycah Hatfield gave further details as to her current condition, stating that while she remains in hospital she is stable and doing a lot better.

Four-year-old Arianna is still in the hospital recovering from a gunshot wound. She was hit January 1 before 3 a.m. when someone shot up her family's apartment home. We spoke to her father about what happened.

Arianna is George Floyd's niece. https://t.co/koPoxl5n7O pic.twitter.com/gtadiNoqkV

— Mycah Hatfield (@MycahABC13) January 5, 2022

The discussion around the motivation behind this shooting will, of course, continue to develop – but perhaps the most concerning aspect of the story is that the authorities are said to have taken four hours to arrive at the home following a 911 call.

Houston Police Chief Troy Finner has now opened an internal affairs investigation into the department’s handling of the shooting, stating that he is “aware and [has] concerns regarding the delayed response time”, urging the public to pray for her recovery and reach out with any useful information.