Ex-officer Derek Chauvin, convicted in George Floyd's killing, stabbed in Arizona federal prison

Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer convicted of killing George Floyd in May 2020, was reportedly stabbed by a fellow prisoner in Arizona on Friday, according to a report from the Associated Press (AP).

The attack on Chauvin took place at the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) in Tucson, a medium-security prison that has encountered recent security problems and understaffing. The source who shared the news with the AP spoke on the condition of anonymity, and said they were not authorized to publicly discuss details of the attack.

The U.S. Bureau of Prisons confirmed that an inmate was assaulted at FCI Tucson around 12:30 p.m. local time on Friday. In a statement, the agency said corrections officers contained the incident and carried out “life-saving measures” before the inmate, whom it did not name, was taken to a hospital for medical treatment and evaluation.

Authorities say no correctional employees were injured and the FBI was alerted to the incident.

In August 2022 Chauvin was transferred from a Minnesota state prison to serve a 22 and a half year state sentence for second-degree murder, and an additional 21-year federal sentence for violating Floyd's civil rights.

Prosecutors agreed to allow the former Minneapolis police officer to serve both sentences concurrently.

Chauvin appealed for a new trial, asserting that his first trial was unfairly prejudiced in Minneapolis, but the Supreme Court rejected his appeal last week, but the Court affirmed the decision of the Minnesota Supreme Court, and rejected his request.

He is now seeing a further review, asserting the violation of his federal civil rights, and citing new evidence in the case.

In a motion filed in federal court on Nov. 13, Chauvin said he would not have pleaded guilty to the murder charge in 2021 if he knew about that a Kansas pathologist who is asserting Floyd’s death was not actually caused by Chauvin’s chokehold.

The pathologist, Dr. William Schaetzel, told Chauvin that based on Floyd’s autopsy report, he believes the former college football player actually died from a rare tumor called a paraganglioma that can cause a fatal surge of adrenaline.

Chauvin began corresponding with the expert in February, prompting he former Minneapolis cop to ask a federal court to overturn his conviction and order a new trial, or at least an evidentiary hearing.

Floyd's death occurred after Chauvin kept his knee on the 46 year old's neck for several minutes on the pavement outside the entrance doors of a convenience store.

In the moments before, Floyd was suspected of trying to pass a counterfeit bill while inside the store, and Chauvin and other Minneapolis police officers responded to the scene, which quickly drew large crowds.