TUCSON, USA – Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer convicted of murdering George Floyd, was seriously injured in a stabbing incident at the Federal Correctional Institution in Tucson, Arizona, AP reports on Saturday, November 25, 2023.
The attack, which represents a significant breach of prison security, occurred in a facility known for its security lapses and staffing shortages.
The Bureau of Prisons confirmed the assault on an inmate at FCI Tucson around 12:30 p.m. local time on Friday.
Though the inmate’s identity was not disclosed, the agency reported that responding staff performed life-saving measures before the individual was hospitalized for further treatment.
No employees were harmed, and the FBI has been notified. As a result, visiting at the facility, which houses approximately 380 inmates, has been suspended.
Chauvin’s stabbing marks the second notable attack on a federal prisoner in recent months, following the stabbing of disgraced sports doctor Larry Nassar in a Florida federal penitentiary in July.
It also comes as the second major incident at the Tucson federal prison in just over a year, following a November 2022 event where an inmate attempted to shoot a visitor with a misfired gun.
Sentenced to a 21-year federal sentence for violating Floyd’s civil rights and a concurrent 22½-year state sentence for second-degree murder, Chauvin’s lawyer, Eric Nelson, had previously advocated for his client to be kept out of the general population due to anticipated threats to his safety.
The U.S. Supreme Court recently rejected Chauvin’s appeal of his murder conviction. He is also attempting to overturn his federal guilty plea, citing new evidence.
George Floyd’s death on May 25, 2020, after Chauvin, who is white, pressed a knee on his neck for over 9 minutes, sparked global protests and a widespread reckoning with police brutality and racism.
Three other former officers involved in the incident received lesser state and federal sentences.
This latest incident at the Tucson prison adds to the scrutiny faced by the federal Bureau of Prisons, already under fire following Jeffrey Epstein’s jail suicide in 2019 and other high-profile prisoner safety breaches.
An ongoing AP investigation has exposed significant flaws within the Bureau, highlighting sexual abuse, violence, staffing shortages, and inadequate responses to inmate assaults and suicides.
Bureau of Prisons Director Colette Peters, appointed last year to reform the agency, has faced criticism for not fulfilling promises of transparency and candour.
Despite her efforts to address hiring practices and internal affairs investigations, recent events, including Chauvin’s stabbing, underscore ongoing challenges in ensuring prisoner safety and security.
