Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, infamous for his involvement in the 2020 murder of George Floyd, was reportedly stabbed on Friday at a federal prison in Arizona, according to a source with knowledge of the situation.
Chauvin’s condition following the attack at the Federal Correctional Institution in Tucson is reported as stable. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) offices in Phoenix and Minneapolis confirmed awareness of the incident at the federal prison but did not disclose the identity of the assailant.
Chauvin’s attorney, Greg Erickson, is actively seeking confirmation of the incident. The Bureau of Prisons released a statement acknowledging that an “incarcerated individual” was assaulted at the Tucson prison around 12:30 pm. Multiple sources later confirmed that the individual in question was indeed Derek Chauvin.
According to the statement, responding prison staff initiated life-saving measures for Chauvin, who was then transferred to a hospital for treatment. Fortunately, no prison employees were injured during the incident.
In April 2021, Chauvin was found guilty on state charges of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter in connection with George Floyd’s death. He received a 25-year prison sentence, which was later reduced to 21 years after he admitted to violating Floyd’s civil rights in federal court.
The high-profile case stems from an incident on May 25, 2020, when Chauvin, a White officer, knelt on George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, for over nine minutes in Minneapolis. Floyd, who was handcuffed, pleaded for air. The incident triggered widespread protests globally against police treatment of people of color, particularly Black Americans.
Recent developments include the US Supreme Court rejecting Chauvin’s appeal on his state conviction earlier this week. Chauvin claimed he did not receive a fair trial, but the high court dismissed the appeal without comment or a recorded vote.
