Update shared on George Floyd killer cop's condition after stabbing

25 November 2023 , 21:27

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Chauvin addressing the crowd after his 2021 trial, a year after his role in the death of George Floyd prompted months of protests (Image: AP)

Former police officer Derek Chauvin is recovering in the hospital and is expected to survive after a Friday prison stabbing.

George Floyd's attacker suffered serious injuries in the stabbing incident at the Arizona federal prison, stated the Minnesota attorney general's office on Saturday while condemning the attack.

The stabbing took place at the Federal Correctional Institution in Tucson, a medium-security prison known for its security issues and lack of staff. The Bureau of Prisons confirmed that a prisoner was assaulted at FCI Tucson around 12:30 p.m. local time on Friday.

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In a statement, they said that staff responded quickly, performed "life-saving measures," and the injured inmate, whose name wasn't disclosed, was taken to hospital for further treatment and evaluation.

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Chauvin is best known for his murder conviction for his role in the 2020 murder of George Floyd. The ex-cop's actions sparked months of protests that drew attention to Chauvin and several other officers who were involved in similar killings.

Chauvin, the officer known for his role in the murder of George Floyd, has been stabbed in prison

Brian Evans, a spokesperson for the Minnesota attorney general's office, told outlets after the attack that: "We have heard that he is expected to survive."

Keith Ellison, Minnesota Attorney General, expressed his disappointment over the incident. He said in a statement: "I am sad to hear that Derek Chauvin was the target of violence. 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 confirmed no employees at the Tucson facility were injured in the attack and that the FBI was notified. The facility houses about 380 inmates.

George Floyd's brother, Terrence Floyd, said that he felt numb when he first heard about Chauvin's incident. "I'm not gonna give my energy towards anything that happens within those four walls - because my energy went towards getting him in those four walls," he said. "Whatever happens in those four walls, I don't really have any feelings about it."

Derek Chauvin's mugshot after he was booked into Hennepin County Jail in 2020 (Hennepin County Jail/AFP via Get)

This is the second high-profile attack on a federal prisoner in recent months. In July, disgraced sports doctor Larry Nassar was stabbed by another inmate at a Florida federal prison.

Chauvin, 47, was transferred to FCI Tucson from a maximum-security Minnesota state prison in August 2022. He is serving a 21-year federal sentence for violating Floyd's civil rights and a 22-year state sentence for second-degree murder.

Chauvin's lawyer, Eric Nelson, had argued for keeping him separate from the general population of inmates, predicting he'd be a target. In Minnesota, Chauvin was mainly kept in solitary confinement "largely for his own protection," Nelson wrote in court papers last year. Just last week, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected Chauvin's appeal of his murder conviction.

Chauvin is trying to overturn his federal guilty plea, claiming new evidence shows he didn't cause Floyd's death. Floyd, a Black man, died on May 25, 2020, after Chauvin, who is white, pressed a knee on his neck for over nine minutes outside a shop where Floyd was suspected of using a fake $20 note.

Floyd's last words, "I can't breathe." were captured on video by a bystander. His death sparked global protests and a renewed focus on police brutality and racism. Three other ex-officers present at the scene received lesser sentences for their roles in Floyd's death.

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Chauvin's stabbing comes as the federal Bureau of Prisons faces criticism following financier Jeffrey Epstein's jail suicide in 2019. It's another example of the agency's failure to protect high-profile prisoners following Nassar's stabbing and "Unabomber" Ted Kaczynski's suicide at a federal medical center in June.

In November 2022, an inmate at the low-security prison camp in Tucson tried to shoot a visitor in the head. The gun, which the inmate shouldn't have had, misfired and no one was hurt.

Yelena Mandenberg