George Floyd’s sister speaks, says it took HPD 4 hours to respond after 4-year-old niece was shot

HOUSTON – The Houston Emergency Center (HEC) announced Wednesday it will investigate the claim that it took officers four hours to respond to the shooting of George Floyd’s 4-year-old niece.

• RELATED: George Floyd’s 4-year-old niece shot after someone fired several shots into Houston apartment, family says

The investigation comes after Houston Police Department Chief Troy Finner released a statement on Tuesday, Jan. 4 about his officers’ response time.

According to the 4-year-old’s father, he called Houston police to report that his daughter had been shot at an apartment complex located at 3322 Yellowstone Boulevard around 3 a.m. on New Year’s Day. He said officers didn’t arrive at the apartment until 7 a.m.

On Thursday, Arianna‘s aunt LaTonya Floyd told KPRC 2 that she is frustrated with the time it took for a response.

”Thank God they had a vehicle to get her to the hospital,” Floyd said. “They said that she got there right on time or the baby would have died.”

Floyd also says the whole family is anxiously awaiting justice.

”I tell you what, we saw the greatest movement in the world with my brother George Floyd and we got justice, praise God. And I guarantee you the Floyd family will get it again,” she said.

The family has set up a GoFundMe page to help with Ariana’s medical care.

HEC said the internal investigation will determine if the proper call handling protocols and procedures were followed for the shooting that occurred on New Year’s Day.

According to reports, HPD was not notified about the shooting at the same time as medical personnel.

“This is an active investigation being conducted within HEC and we want to ensure all calls we received regarding this incident are properly reviewed,” said HEC Director Robert Mock. “We will provide a follow-up of our investigation results when they become available.”

Chief Finner responded to HEC’s internal investigation on Wednesday. He said HPD officers were notified about sounds of gunfire from its “Shot Spotter” technology around 3 a.m. in the area of the 700 block of Peerless Street near Yellowstone Blvd.

He said officers went to check the area and noticed it was an apartment complex nearby, which was located at 3322 Yellowstone. He said officers walked through the complex, but when they weren’t flagged down by anyone or didn’t see a crime scene, they left.

Finner added that the officers who responded initially did not know a child had been transported to the hospital from the apartment in a private vehicle before their arrival.

He also added that the investigation will help determine whether changes in protocols and training will need to be made as to how calls are handled and coded for dispatch.

Read Finner’s full statement below: