Derek Chauvin, a former Minneapolis police officer who was found guilty of killing George Floyd, was stabbed by another prisoner inside a federal prison in Arizona on Friday, leaving him gravely wounded.
The Associated Press was the first to report on the attack, which happened at the Federal Correction Institution in Tucson at around 12:30 p.m. local time. The Star Tribune was also informed by Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison that 47-year-old Chauvin had been stabbed, but his condition is still stable.
“I am sad to learn that Derek Chauvin was the victim of violence,” said Ellison. “He was duly found guilty of his crimes and, like any imprisoned individual, he ought to be able to serve his time in prison without fear of revenge or violence.”
NPR was informed by the Bureau of Prisons and an FBI representative stationed in Arizona that an inmate had been beaten at the federal prison on Friday; however, neither organization would confirm that the victim was Chauvin.
There were “life-saving measures” administered to the prisoner, according to the Bureau of Prisons. Later, the prisoner was transferred to a hospital for additional assessment and care.
The roughly 380 prisoners housed at FCI Tucson have had their visits halted until further notice.
The reason behind the altercation is unclear. NPR’s requests for comment were not immediately answered by Chauvin’s lawyer.
Chauvin received a 22-and-a-half-year sentence in state prison in 2021 for killing Floyd. In addition, he was sentenced to 21 years in federal prison for infringing Floyd’s civil rights. Chauvin was mandated to fulfill those sentences in parallel.
In an attempt to have the jury’s decision overturned or have his sentence reduced, the former officer appealed the murder convictions. The U.S. Supreme Court denied that appeal earlier this week. Additionally, Chauvin has been attempting to have his federal civil rights conviction overturned. He submitted a motion earlier this month, claiming that fresh evidence disproved his involvement in Floyd’s death.
On May 25, 2020, Floyd—a Black man—was slain during an attempted arrest. For several minutes, Chauvin, a white man, pinned Floyd to the ground and rested his knee on his neck. The horrifying manner in which Floyd passed away, documented on camera, led to widespread demonstrations against police brutality and racial injustice across the nation.
Floyd’s right to medical care was denied by three additional Minneapolis police who assisted in his restraining and were found guilty of doing so. Three years were handed down to J. Alexander Kueng, three and a half years to Tou Thao, and two and a half years to Thomas Lane.