4-year-old hit by gunfire in Texas, cops say. Family says she’s George Floyd’s niece
The 4-year-old niece of George Floyd was identified by media outlets as a New Year’s Day gunshot victim in Texas.
The shooting occurred around 2:55 a.m. Saturday, when at least one person fired several shots into an apartment on Yellowstone Boulevard in Houston, police said. Four adults and two children were inside the apartment and one of the kids, a 4-year-old girl, was struck in the torso.
The girl, who KPRC reported is George Floyd’s niece, was taken by a private vehicle to a hospital and was listed in stable condition as of Tuesday, Jan. 4. Police do not have a description of the suspect or a motive.
Family members told KTRK the girl’s name is Arianna, and she was sleeping at the time of the shooting. Her father told the outlet she suffered “a punctured lung and liver and three broken ribs.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact Houston police at 713-308-8800.
George Floyd, 46, died while in police custody on May 25, 2020, and his death sparked an avalanche of protests across the nation.
He died after now-fired Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee into Floyd’s neck for more than 9 minutes, as three other officers chose not to intervene.
During a trial the following year, a jury found Chauvin guilty of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. In June, Chauvin was sentenced to 22.5 years in prison.
A KTRK reporter said Arianna was “front and center” at marches and rallies in her uncle’s honor.