Former Minneapolis Police Officer Convicted of Murdering George Floyd Stabbed in Prison

Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer convicted of murdering George Floyd, was stabbed by another inmate on Friday at a federal prison in Tucson, Arizona, according to sources.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison confirmed the incident, expressing his sadness over the act of violence. He stated, "He was duly convicted of his crimes and, like any incarcerated individual, he should be able to serve his sentence without fear of retaliation or violence."

The Bureau of Prisons released a statement regarding the incident, stating that an incarcerated person was assaulted at the Federal Correctional Institution in Tucson. The agency did not disclose the name or condition of the inmate, but mentioned that the incident was contained by prison employees who performed life-saving measures before the inmate was taken to a local hospital for further treatment and evaluation.

The Federal Correctional Institution is a medium-security prison. No employees were injured during the incident, and the FBI has been notified, according to the Bureau of Prisons.

Former police officer Derek Chauvin, who was convicted for the murder of George Floyd, was transferred to FCI Tucson in August 2022. He is currently serving a 21-year federal sentence for violating Floyd's civil rights and a 22½-year state sentence for second-degree murder.

Chauvin's recent stabbing incident is the second high-profile attack on a federal prisoner in the past five months. In July, disgraced sports doctor Larry Nassar was stabbed by a fellow inmate at a federal penitentiary in Florida.

This is not the first major incident to occur at the Tucson federal prison. In November 2022, an inmate at the facility's low-security prison camp attempted to shoot a visitor in the head. Fortunately, the weapon misfired and no one was injured.

Chauvin's lawyer, Eric Nelson, had previously expressed concerns about his client's safety and advocated for him to be kept separate from other inmates. In Minnesota, Chauvin was mainly kept in solitary confinement for his own protection.

Last week, Chauvin's appeal to the Supreme Court was rejected, upholding his conviction. Chauvin's legal team had requested the Supreme Court to review his case, specifically focusing on the denial of his requests for a change of venue and jury sequestration by a Minnesota trial court. Chauvin argued that keeping the trial in Minneapolis deprived him of a fair trial due to pretrial publicity and the potential for violence and riots if he was found not guilty.

Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, died on May 25, 2020, after Chauvin, a white police officer, pinned him to the ground with his knee on Floyd's neck for 9 1/2 minutes. Three other former officers present at the scene received lesser sentences at the state and federal level for their involvement in Floyd's death.

The video of Floyd's killing, recorded by bystanders, sparked global protests against police brutality and systemic racism.

Chauvin's stabbing highlights the increased scrutiny faced by the federal Bureau of Prisons following incidents like the jail suicide of Jeffrey Epstein in 2019. It is another example of the agency's failure to ensure the safety of high-profile prisoners, following the stabbing of Nassar and the suicide of "Unabomber" Ted Kaczynski in June at a federal medical center in eastern North Carolina.