Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who pled guilty to federal charges in the 2020 death while in custody of 46-year-old George Floyd, was stabbed and seriously injured in prison on Friday by a fellow inmate, according to a report by the Associated Press. Chauvin, 47, was also convicted on state charges in Minnesota and is serving concurrent sentences of over 20 years on the federal and state charges.
The news of Chauvin’s stabbing was first reported by the AP’s Mike Sisak:
BREAKING: Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer convicted of murdering George Floyd, was stabbed by another inmate and seriously injured Friday at a federal prison in Arizona, a person familiar with the matter told @AP.
https://t.co/yu6aqSTzzK— Mike Sisak 🗒️ (@mikesisak) November 25, 2023
The AP report states Chauvin was taken to a hospital after receiving “life-saving measures” (excerpt):
The attack happened at the Federal Correctional Institution, Tucson, a medium-security prison that has been plagued by security lapses and staffing shortages. The person was not authorized to publicly discuss details of the attack and spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity.
The Bureau of Prisons confirmed that an incarcerated person was assaulted at FCI Tucson at around 12:30 p.m. local time Friday. In a statement, the agency said responding employees contained the incident and performed “life-saving measures” before the inmate, who it did not name, was taken to a hospital for further treatment and evaluation.
…Chauvin, 47, was sent to FCI Tucson from a maximum-security Minnesota state prison in August 2022 to simultaneously serve a 21-year federal sentence for violating Floyd’s civil rights and a 22½-year state sentence for second-degree murder.
Chauvin’s lawyer, Eric Nelson, had advocated for keeping him out of general population and away from other inmates, anticipating he’d be a target. In Minnesota, Chauvin was mainly kept in solitary confinement “largely for his own protection,” Nelson wrote in court papers last year.
On Monday, the Supreme Court declined to hear Chauvin’s appeal of his conviction in state court in Minnesota (CNN excerpt):
The US Supreme Court on Monday rejected an appeal from former Minnesota police officer Derek Chauvin, who was convicted of murder in the 2020 killing of George Floyd.
Chauvin was found guilty in April 2021 of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in Floyd’s death. He was sentenced to 22 1/2 years in prison – which exceeded Minnesota’s sentencing guidelines range of 10 years and eight months to 15 years.
Chauvin later pleaded guilty to federal charges of violating Floyd’s civil rights and was sentenced to 21 years in prison to run concurrently with his state sentence.
…Chauvin claimed in his appeal against conviction he had not received a fair trial because jurors in his case may have had a vested interest against acquitting, out of fear of instigating more street protests and violence.
CBS News reported this week Chauvin has filed an appeal of his federal conviction (excerpt):
Chauvin is now seeking to overturn his conviction on the federal charge, arguing in a filing last week that he wouldn’t have pleaded guilty had he been aware of the theories of a Kansas-based pathologist who does not believe Floyd died as a result of Chauvin’s actions.
Chauvin was quoted in a new documentary this week disputing the grounds of his conviction, according to Collin Rugg:
JUST IN: Derek Chauvin is calling his trial a “sham” while speaking out to the media in his first public comments since the death of George Floyd.
The comments from Chauvin is featured as part of a new documentary, The Fall of Minneapolis.
The documentary suggests the FBI altered Floyd’s autopsy as noted by the film’s producer, Liz Collin.
Collin suggests the FBI was involved with altering the autopsy report to assert that Chauvin killed Floyd by kneeling while the original report did not mention asphyxiation.
During an interview with Collin, Chauvin called the trial a “sham” and blamed the ambulance for taking too long to respond to the call.
Chauvin also referred to the Maximal Restraint Technique (MRT), the technique he was trained to do and claims he used.
“This isn’t the end and this won’t define me. What’s been done is done and I just hope that at the very least on the future people keep an open mind and not let instances like this happen,” he said.
“Just use my case an example as to not jump the gun knee jerk, not fall to this race-bait, to the social media, to the media, and let them get away with what they do if things like this keep happening.”
JUST IN: Derek Chauvin is calling his trial a “sham” while speaking out to the media in his first public comments since the death of George Floyd.
The comments from Chauvin is featured as part of a new documentary, The Fall of Minneapolis.
The documentary suggests the FBI… pic.twitter.com/8JgyIHBpIL
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) November 20, 2023
