Former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin Stabbed in Prison
Chauvin Attacked by Another Inmate
Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was stabbed by another inmate at the Arizona prison where he is serving a 22-year sentence for murdering George Floyd.
Chauvin, 47, was attacked on Friday at the Federal Correctional Institution in Tucson, a medium-security prison that has been plagued by security lapses and staffing shortages.
Chauvin Seriously Injured
The Bureau of Prisons confirmed that an incarcerated person was assaulted at FCI Tucson at around 12:30pm local time Friday.
In a statement, the agency said responding employees contained the incident and performed “life-saving measures” before the inmate, who it did not name, was taken to a hospital for further treatment and evaluation.
Chauvin Had Feared for His Safety
Chauvin’s lawyer, Eric Nelson, had advocated for keeping him out of general population and away from other inmates, anticipating 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.
Attack Comes Amid Scrutiny of Bureau of Prisons
Chauvin’s stabbing is the second high-profile attack on a federal prisoner in the last five months.
In July, disgraced sports doctor Larry Nassar was stabbed by a fellow inmate at a federal penitentiary in Florida.
Floyd’s Death Sparked Protests Against Police Brutality
Floyd, who was black, died on May 25, 2020, after Chauvin, who is white, pressed a knee on his neck for nine and a half minutes on the street outside a convenience store where Floyd was suspected of trying to pass a counterfeit $20 bill.
Bystander video captured Floyd’s fading cries of “I can’t breathe.”
His death touched off protests worldwide, some of which turned violent, and forced a national reckoning with police brutality and racism.
Chauvin’s Stabbing Highlights Ongoing Problems at Bureau of Prisons
Chauvin’s stabbing comes as the federal Bureau of Prisons has faced increased scrutiny in recent years following wealthy financier Jeffrey Epstein’s jail suicide in 2019.
It’s another example of the agency’s inability to keep even its highest profile prisoners safe after Nassar’s stabbing and “Unabomber” Ted Kaczynski’s suicide at a federal medical center in June.
