Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, convicted in the death of George Floyd, was reportedly stabbed in a federal prison on Friday, sustaining serious injuries, according to a person familiar with the matter cited by the Associated Press. The incident occurred at the Federal Correctional Institution in Tucson, Arizona.
Floyd’s death in 2020 triggered global protests against police brutality and racism after Chauvin, a white officer, knelt on the handcuffed Black man’s neck for over nine minutes in a killing captured on cellphone video.
While the Federal Bureau of Prisons confirmed an assault on an unidentified inmate at the prison, it did not confirm Chauvin as the victim. The news agency reported that Chauvin, 47, was stabbed by another inmate, citing an anonymous source. The New York Times also reported the stabbing, referencing two individuals with knowledge of the matter.
The Bureau’s statement mentioned that prison employees responded to the attack, initiating life-saving measures for the injured individual, who was then transported to a hospital by emergency medical services. The incident occurred at 12:30 p.m. MST (1930 GMT), and the Bureau assured that no employees were harmed, and the public was not at risk.
Zach Graham, an attorney from the defense team at Chauvin’s trial, stated that the firm, Halberg Criminal Defense in Minneapolis, had no comment on the reported stabbing. Greg Erickson, a member of Chauvin’s appellate team, claimed no knowledge of the incident.
Derek Chauvin is currently serving a 21-year federal sentence for violating George Floyd’s civil rights, along with a concurrent 22.5-year sentence for murder in his conviction in Minnesota state court.
