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 Federal Bureau of Prisons confirmed in a statement that “an incarcerated individual was assaulted” at the Federal Correctional Institution in Tucson at about 12:30 p.m. on Friday. The agency did not identify the individual; the AP reported that its source was a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to publicly discuss details of the attack.
“Responding employees initiated life-saving measures,” the agency’s statement read. The individual was then transported to a local hospital for further treatment and evaluation, the bureau said.
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.
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.
“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, president of the Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis, said she had only seen the headlines and had no independent information on Chauvin’s status.
The assault came a week after the premiere of Alpha News’ documentary, “The Fall of Minneapolis,” which questions the prevailing media narrative of Floyd’s murder and attempts to garner sympathy for the four officers involved. The 102-minute film includes interviews with Chauvin and rookie Alexander Keung, who was also convicted in Floyd’s death.
“At the end of the day, the whole trial including sentencing was a sham,” Chauvin told Alpha News during a phone interview from prison.