Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was stabbed and seriously injured Friday by a fellow inmate at an Arizona federal prison where he’s serving time for the murder of George Floyd, according to a report by the Associated Press.
The attack occurred Friday afternoon at the Federal Correctional Institution in Tucson, according to the AP’s report. A spokesman for the Minneapolis Police Department told the Star Tribune on Friday night that Chief Brian O’Hara had been briefed on the assault but offered no other details.
The AP’s source was identified as a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to publicly discuss details of the attack.
Chauvin, 47, has been serving a 21-year federal sentence for violating Floyd’s civil rights and a 22 1/2 -year state sentence for second-degree murder. Floyd’s death while pinned under Chauvin’s knee at the corner of Chicago Avenue and 38th Street in south Minneapolis in May 2020 triggered days of massive protests locally and drew international outrage. Chauvin was convicted of the state murder charge in April 2021.
The Bureau of Prisons did not immediately respond to an inquiry from the Star Tribune. Earlier, the agency provided AP with a statement confirming that an incarcerated person was assaulted at FCI Tucson, but did not provide a name.
Employees contained the incident and performed “life-saving measures” on the inmate, who was then taken to a hospital for further treatment and evaluation, the AP reported.
“Violence is barbaric and tragic, and should never be cause for celebration,” O’Hara said in a statement after being briefed on the assault. “Derek Chauvin’s conduct on May 25, 2020, was unequivocally criminal and resulted in death. Today’s news is cause for quiet reflection while the world continues to process the trauma of George Floyd’s murder. It is clear that this still reverberates with the people of Minneapolis and their police.”
Chauvin’s current attorney, William Mohrman, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A staffer at the office of attorney Eric Nelson, who represented Chauvin at trial, declined to comment.
Sgt. Sherral Schmidt, the president of the Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis Police Federation, said she had only seen the headlines and had no independent information on Chauvin’s status.
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