TL/DR –
Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, convicted of murdering George Floyd, was stabbed in a federal prison in Tucson, Arizona. The Bureau of Prisons confirmed an inmate was stabbed and transported to a local hospital, but did not identify the inmate as Chauvin. Chauvin, who was serving a sentence of more than two decades for state murder charges and a federal charge of violating Floyd’s constitutional rights, survived the attack.
Derek Chauvin Stabbed in Federal Prison
Derek Chauvin, the ex-Minneapolis police officer convicted of murdering George Floyd in a 2020 arrest that led to global protests, was stabbed at a federal prison in Tucson, Ariz., on Friday, as per sources.
The Federal Bureau of Prisons confirmed an inmate was stabbed at 12:30 p.m., without naming Chauvin, 47. The situation was quickly contained, with no injuries to other inmates or staff.
Emergency medical technicians initiated lifesaving measures before transferring the inmate to a local hospital for further treatment. No information about his condition was immediately available, but a source confirmed Chauvin survived.
Chauvin was serving a sentence exceeding two decades after his conviction of state murder charges and a federal charge of violating Floyd’s constitutional rights.
The Fatal Arrest of George Floyd
Chauvin, who is white, had knelt on Floyd, a black man, for over nine minutes during the May 2020 arrest. Floyd’s killing triggered massive protests against police violence and racism. Chauvin was convicted of second-degree murder in April 2021. His attempts to appeal the conviction had been rejected by the Supreme Court.
As part of Chauvin’s plea deal, he was permitted to serve his sentence in a federal prison, considered safer than a state prison. Before this, Chauvin was in solitary confinement in a Minnesota prison due to safety concerns.
Attacks on Federal Prisoners
There have been several other attacks on federal prisoners in recent years, including the stabbing of Larry Nassar and the murder of James (Whitey) Bulger. The Bureau of Prisons is grappling with a shortage of corrections officers, with about 21 percent of the funded positions unfilled as of September 2022.
Chauvin’s Conviction and Sentencing
On May 25, 2020, Chauvin and three other officers responded to a 911 call about Floyd using a counterfeit bill. They pinned Floyd to the ground, with a video showing Floyd gasping for air as Chauvin knelt on his neck. Floyd was pronounced dead at a hospital over an hour later.
In April 2021, after a three-week trial, Chauvin was convicted of all counts and received a 22.5-year prison sentence. At the 2021 sentencing, Chauvin’s mother, Carolyn Pawlenty, maintained her son’s innocence.
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