Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer found guilty of George Floyd’s murder, was seriously injured in a stabbing incident at a federal prison in Tucson, Arizona, according to an informed source. The attack took place around midday at the Federal Correctional Institution in Tucson. Despite his injuries, Chauvin is expected to recover. Prison staff provided immediate life-saving measures before Chauvin was transported to a hospital. The individual responsible for the attack was also hospitalized for further medical attention and evaluation. The FBI has been informed of the incident, and visitations at the facility have been temporarily halted.
This incident comes on the heels of the US Supreme Court’s rejection of Chauvin’s appeal against his second-degree murder conviction for Floyd’s death in May 2020. Chauvin’s defense team had argued that new evidence indicated he was not responsible for Floyd’s death. They also claimed that Chauvin was denied a fair trial due to the extensive media coverage and fears of potential violence if he was found not guilty. The defense had previously requested that Chauvin be segregated from the general prison population for his safety.
Chauvin has been serving his 22.5-year sentence at the Tucson facility since his conviction in April 2021. The prison has been grappling with staffing shortages and security issues in recent years. A previous incident involved 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 Larry Nassar, the disgraced sports doctor convicted of sexually abusing hundreds of gymnasts, at a Florida facility.
Colette Peters, the Director of the Bureau of Prisons, was appointed last year to address systemic issues within the federal prison system. These issues include understaffing, escapes, sexual abuse, and inmate deaths. The prison system has faced criticism for its failure to provide adequate security and ensure the safety of both inmates and staff.