George Floyd's 4-year-old niece shot on New Year's Day while sleeping in apartment

George Floyd's 4-year-old niece was shot on New Year's Day while she was sleeping in her home. Arianna Delane was struck in the torso and was rushed to the hospital by her family. She underwent surgery and is currently stable, said her family. Delane's family alleges the police were late to respond to the incident. Before 3 am on Saturday, several shots were fired into their apartment while four adults and two children were inside, said the police in a statement, reported NBC News. The police said they have no suspect or motive at the moment. 

“My daughter jumped up and said she had been hit. I (saw) the blood, the bleeding, and I grabbed her,” recalled her father, Derrick Delane. It was the 4-year-old's parents who drove her to the hospital. “She’s healing very fast. The last time I checked on her, she was breathing on her own. She was doing really great,” Derrick told KPRC of Houston. Houston Police Chief Troy Finner said an investigation was opened in the department's handling of the shooting. "I am aware and have concerns regarding the delayed response time in this incident and have initiated an Internal Affairs investigation," said Finner in a statement. "I ask the city continue to pray for this child's full recovery and assist in providing information that would lead to the arrest of the suspect or suspects responsible," he said. "I'm really hurting at the moment," Philonise Floyd, George Floyd's brother, told CNN.

A GoFundMe campaign has been started to fund Arianna Delane's treatment. "My niece is just 4 years old and is currently fighting for her life. On New Year's morning, my family heard a shooting while asleep and soon realized that Arianna had been shot in her torso," read the description. "This shooting caused severe injuries such as broken ribs, punctured liver, and lungs."

Arianna had also participated in the protests against her uncle George Floyd's death. Floyd died on May 25, 2020, after then-Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for 9 1/2 minutes while detaining him over an alleged case of using counterfeit notes. Floyd's death among others including Brianna Taylor, who died after being shot by cops, saw protests break out in all 50 states in America and in many parts around the world as well. Chauvin was convicted of Floyd's murder last April. Floyd's death sparked huge protests after a 17-year-old girl Darnella Frazier released the video of the incident that she had filmed at the scene. It was Frazier's video that changed the narrative around Floyd's death after Minneapolis Police Department had initially refused to mention the circumstance under which he had died. Frazier was honored with the PEN America award for courage for recording the footage that sparked protests across America earlier this year. 

The protests were aimed at police brutality and systemic racism. A study revealed that African-Americans are more likely to be killed by police than White people. Violent encounters with the police have profound effects on health, neighborhoods, life chances, and politics. According to the study, police also play a key role in maintaining structural inequalities between people of color and white people in the United States.

Police are urging anyone with information on the case to contact the department's major assaults and family violence division at 713-308-8800 or Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.