Ex-Minneapolis cop convicted in George Floyd’s killing stabbed in prison

Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who was found guilty in the 2020 murder of George Floyd, was stabbed on Friday at a federal prison in Arizona, CNN reported citing a person with knowledge of the situation.

Chauvin’s status following the attack in the Federal Correctional Institution in Tucson is stable, according to the source.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) offices in Phoenix and Minneapolis responded to a question regarding the report of Chauvin’s stabbing saying that they were aware of an incident that occurred at the federal prison on Friday.

However, they did not name the perpetrator.

Meanwhile, Chauvin’s attorney Greg Erickson said that he was working on getting confirmation, CNN reported.

The Bureau of Prisons, in a statement on Friday, said that “an incarcerated individual” was assaulted at the Tucson prison at approximately 12:30pm.

Two sources confirmed the individual to be Chauvin.

“Responding employees initiated life-saving measures for one incarcerated individual,” and that person was transferred to a hospital for treatment, the bureau’s statement said, adding that no employees were injured during the incident.

Chauvin was found guilty in April 2021 on state charges of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.

He received a sentence of 25 years in prison. A few months later, Chauvin admitted to violating Floyd’s civil rights in federal court and his sentence was reduced to 21 years in prison.

Chauvin, who is a White man, on May 25, 2020, knelt on a 46-year-old Black man named George Floyd for over 9 minutes in Minneapolis. Floyd was handcuffed and pleaded for air.

This incident sparked nationwide and global protests against police treatment of people of colour, particularly Black Americans.

Minneapolis’ police department has been accused of race discrimination, according to a 2022 report by the Minnesota Department of Human Rights.

Furthermore, earlier this week, the US Supreme Court rejected an appeal from Chauvin on his state conviction, who claimed he did not receive a fair trial. The high court rejected Chauvin’s appeal without comment or a recorded vote.