George Floyd's niece, 4, shot in her Houston home

Houston police responded hours after the shooting, according to a local report.

January 5, 2022 at 2:27AM
A child views a mural dedicated to George Floyd, across the street from the Cuney Homes housing project in Houston's Third Ward, where Floyd grew up and later mentored young men in June 2020. A 4-year-old girl who was shot while she was sleeping in her Houston home has been identified by local media as George Floyd's niece.
A child viewed a mural dedicated to George Floyd, across the street from the Cuney Homes housing project in Houston’s Third Ward, where Floyd grew up and later mentored young men in June 2020. A 4-year-old girl who was shot while she was sleeping in her Houston home has been identified by local media as George Floyd’s niece. (Mario Tama - Getty Images/TNS/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

A 4-year-old girl wounded while sleeping in her Houston home has been identified by local media as George Floyd's niece.

The girl was in the second story of the house when she was struck by gunfire about 3 a.m. on New Year's Day, her father, Derrick Delane, told Houston television station KTRK-TV. The girl, who was hit in the torso, suffered a punctured lung and liver, and three broken ribs.

"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 told the news station. "She didn't know what was going on. She was asleep."

Several shots were fired into the apartment at 3322 Yellowstone Boulevard, Houston police said in a news release Tuesday. Four adults and two children were inside.

The girl, underwent surgery and was in stable condition, according to the release.

The shooting comes a year and a half after George Floyd was murdered by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who pinned his knee to Floyd's neck. A video of the scene went viral, sparking protests across the country.

Delane said he suspects his home was targeted.

"Why would my house get shot up?" he said. "My daughter don't know. I can't explain that to her. As the father, you're supposed to protect the kids."

After Delane told the news station that police didn't arrive at the scene until four hours after the shooting, Houston Police Chief Troy Finner said he launched an internal investigation.

"I am aware and have concerns regarding the delayed response time in this incident and have initiated an Internal Affairs investigation," according to the chief's statement on Twitter. "I ask 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."

Police said they had no description of the shooter or a motive.

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Alex Chhith

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Alex Chhith is a general assignment reporter for the Star Tribune.

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