Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer convicted of killing George Floyd, was stabbed by another inmate and seriously injured Friday at a federal prison in Arizona, according to a person with knowledge of the events.
The attack occurred at the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) in Tucson, a medium-security prison that has been affected by security lapses and understaffing.
The person was not authorized to publicly discuss details of the attack and spoke to The Associated Press (AP) on condition of anonymity.
The Bureau of Prisons confirmed that an incarcerated person was assaulted at FCI Tucson around 12:30 p.m. local time on Friday.
In a statement, the agency said responding employees contained the incident and took emergency measures before the inmate, who has not been named, was taken to hospital for treatment. receive further care and evaluation.
No employees were injured and the FBI was notified, the Bureau of Prisons said. Visits to the facility, which has about 380 inmates, have been suspended.
Mr. Chauvin’s lawyers and the FBI had not yet responded as of Friday evening, following requests for comment.
Chauvin’s assault is the second high-profile assault of a federal prisoner in the past five months. In July, disgraced sports doctor Larry Nassar was stabbed by a fellow inmate in a Florida federal penitentiary.
This is also the second major incident at the Tucson federal prison in just over a year.
In November 2022, an inmate pulled out a gun and attempted to shoot a visitor in the head. The weapon, which the inmate should not have had in his possession, malfunctioned. No one was hurt.
Chauvin, 47, was sent to FCI Tucson from a maximum security state prison in Minnesota in August 2022 to concurrently serve a 21-year federal sentence for violating George Floyd’s civil rights and a sentence of State 22 1/2 years for second degree murder.
Chauvin’s lawyer, Eric Nelson, had argued that he be kept away from the general population and other inmates, believing he would be a target.
In Minnesota, Chauvin was placed in solitary confinement “largely for his own protection,” Mr. Nelson wrote in court papers last year.
Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected Chauvin’s appeal of his murder conviction. Separately, Chauvin is trying to have his guilty plea overturned at the federal level, saying new evidence shows he did not cause George Floyd’s death.
George Floyd, who was black, died on May 25, 2020, after Chauvin, who is white, pressed a knee on his neck for nine and a half minutes on the street outside a business where Mr. Floyd was suspected of trying to pass a counterfeit $20 bill.
Video taken by bystanders captured George Floyd’s fading cries: “I can’t breathe.” His death sparked protests around the world, some of which turned violent, and forced the United States to address the issue of police brutality and racism.
Three other former police officers who were at the scene received lesser sentences at the state and federal level for their roles in Floyd’s death.
With Amy Forliti in Minneapolis