Tucson, Arizona – Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who was convicted of murdering George Floyd, was stabbed by another inmate at a federal prison in Tucson, Arizona on Friday, according to a source familiar with the matter. The attack occurred around 12:30 p.m. at the Federal Correctional Institution, Tucson. Chauvin was seriously injured but is expected to survive, ABC News reported. Prison employees performed life-saving measures before Chauvin was taken to the hospital. The attacker was also hospitalized for further treatment and evaluation. The FBI has been notified, and visiting at the facility has been suspended.
The stabbing incident comes just a week after the US Supreme Court rejected Chauvin’s appeal of his second-degree murder conviction in the death of George Floyd, which occurred in May 2020. Chauvin’s defense argued that new evidence showed he did not cause Floyd’s death, while also claiming he was denied a fair trial due to extensive publicity and concerns about potential violence if he was acquitted. They had requested that Chauvin be kept out of the general prison population for his safety.
Derek Chauvin has been serving his 22.5-year prison sentence at FCI Tucson since his conviction in April 2021. The facility has faced staffing shortages and security lapses in recent years, with a previous incident involving an inmate attempting to shoot a visitor in the head. This is the second high-profile inmate attack in a federal prison in recent months, following the stabbing of disgraced sports doctor Larry Nassar, who sexually abused hundreds of gymnasts, in a Florida facility.
Bureau of Prisons Director Colette Peters was brought in last year to address the systemic issues within the federal prison system, including understaffing, escapees, sexual abuse, and inmate deaths. The prison system has been under scrutiny for its failure to provide adequate security and ensure the safety of both inmates and staff.