The New York Times
According to two informants, Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer convicted of the murder of George Floyd in 2020, was stabbed to death this Friday (24) in a federal prison in Tucson, Arizona. The information comes from the Associated Press agency.
The Federal Bureau of Prisons confirmed that an inmate in Tucson was stabbed at 12:30 p.m. (4:30 p.m. EDT) on Friday, although the agency’s statement did not mention the name of 47yearold Chauvin.
No other inmates or prison staff were injured and the situation was quickly brought under control, according to people familiar with the situation.
First responders began lifesaving measures before transporting the inmate to a local hospital for treatment and evaluation, the agency said in a statement. There were no details about his condition, but one of the informants said Chauvin survived the attack.
The former police officer is serving a sentence of just over 20 years in federal prison after being convicted of murder and violating Floyd’s constitutional rights. His lawyers did not respond to requests for comment.
Chauvin, who is white, knelt on the neck of Floyd, who was Black, for 9 1/2 minutes in May 2020 while Floyd was handcuffed face down on a south Minneapolis street.
The murder of 46yearold Floyd was captured on video by a teenager and the images spread around the world while people were isolated due to the Covid pandemic.
The crime sparked massive protests against police violence and racism and led to a highprofile trial in which Chauvin was convicted of murder in April 2021. Three other officers who were at the scene where Floyd was killed were also later convicted of violating the rights of the victim
Chauvin attempted to appeal his conviction, but the Supreme Court rejected his efforts.
Part of Chauvin’s agreement with prosecutors was that he would be allowed to serve his sentence in a federal prison, which is generally considered safer than a state prison.
However, there have been several other attacks on prisoners in federal facilities in recent years, including the stabbing earlier this year of Larry Nassar, who was convicted of sexually abusing young gymnasts, and the 2018 murder of mobster James “Whitey” Bulger was killed in a Virginia prison.
The Federal Bureau of Prisons is struggling with a shortage of correctional officers and relies on teachers, counselors, facility staff and secretaries to staff its shifts.