Accused of murdering George Floyd, former police officer Derek Chauvin was stabbed while incarcerated

 Accused of murdering George Floyd, former police officer Derek Chauvin was stabbed while incarcerated

Eric Nelson, Chauvin's lawyer, had argued that his client should be isolated from both the general public and other inmates for fear of retaliation.

In August 2022, Chauvin, 47, was sent to FCI Tucson from the maximum-security Minnesota State Prison. He was sentenced to 21 years in federal prison for violating Floyd's civil rights and 22½ years in state prison for second-degree murder.

At a federal prison in Arizona on Friday, another prisoner attacked and critically injured Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer found guilty of killing George Floyd, according to a person with knowledge of the situation who spoke to The Associated Press.

The incident took place at the medium-security Federal Correctional Institution in Tucson, which is beset by personnel shortages and security vulnerabilities. The individual talked to the AP on condition of anonymity and was not permitted to publicly disclose the specifics of the assault.

At about 12:30 a.m. local time on Friday, an inmate male at FCI Tucson was assaulted, according to confirmation from the Bureau of Prisons. The government stated in a statement that after controlling the situation and executing life-saving procedures, responding officials took the inmate—whom it did not identify—to a hospital for further care and assessment.

The FBI was alerted, according to the Bureau of Prisons, and no staff members were hurt. The institution, which holds roughly 380 prisoners, has halted visits.

We sent messages for the FBI and Chauvin's lawyers for a response.

In the previous five months, Chauvin has been the target of two high-profile knife attacks on federal inmates. Disgraced sports physician Larry Nassar was fatally stabbed in July at a federal prison in Florida by a fellow prisoner.

In a little more than a year, this is the second significant incident at the federal prison in Tucson. An prisoner in the low-security prison camp at the site took out a pistol in November 2022 and tried to kill a guest in the head. The prisoner's illegally obtained weapon malfunctioned, leaving no casualties.

In August 2022, Chauvin, 47, was sent to FCI Tucson from the maximum-security Minnesota State Prison. He was sentenced to 21 years in federal prison for violating Floyd's civil rights and 22½ years in state prison for second-degree murder.

Eric Nelson, Chauvin's lawyer, had argued that his client should be isolated from both the general public and other inmates for fear of retaliation. Nelson said in court documents from the previous year that Chauvin's protection was the main reason he was put in solitary confinement in Minnesota.

The US Supreme Court denied Chauvin's attempt to overturn his murder conviction last week. Distinctly, Chauvin is conducting an extensive endeavor to revoke his guilty plea on a federal level, contending that fresh data indicates he was not the reason of Floyd's demise.

On May 25, 2020, Floyd, a Black man, passed away after Chauvin, a White man, knelt on his neck for nine and a half minutes as they were standing outside a convenience shop, where Floyd was given a $20 note. was allegedly attempting to push false legislation.

Floyd's cry, "I can't breathe," was captured on camera as the bystander. His killing generated widespread national criticism of racism and police violence as well as rallies throughout the globe, some of which became violent.

Due to their involvement in Floyd's demise, three other former cops who were present at the scene were given lighter state and federal terms.

Chauvin's stabbing occurs at a time when the Federal Bureau of Prisons has been under more scrutiny lately due to the rich businessman Jeffrey Epstein's 2019 jail suicide. This further demonstrates the agency's incapacity to protect even its most well-known inmates in the wake of the Nassar stabbing and Unabomber Ted Kaczynski's death. a government health facility in June.

Deep, previously unknown weaknesses have been uncovered by the AP's continuing investigation into the Bureau of Prisons, the biggest law enforcement department under the Justice Department, which employs over 30,000 people, houses 158,000 prisoners, and has an annual budget of around $8 billion.

According to AP research, there has been extensive sexual assault and other criminal behavior by staff, many escapes, ongoing violence, fatalities, and a major staffing deficit that has made it difficult to respond to crises, such as suicides and attacks by inmates.

Colette Peters, the director of the Bureau of Prisons, was appointed last year with the goal of reforming the department. He pledged to introduce greater openness and reform outmoded employment methods, all the while highlighting the agency's goal of creating good neighbors rather than good inmates."

During his September testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Peters highlighted initiatives to improve Internal Affairs investigations and restructure troublesome jails. He reported to the House Judiciary panel this month that there has been an improvement in hiring, with more new recruits than retirements and other exits.

However, MPs who claim Peters has broken her pledge to communicate honestly and freely with them are also offended. Senators censured her in September for making her wait over a year to respond to written inquiries and for asserting that she was unable to respond to inquiries regarding fundamental agency functions, such the number of correctional officers on duty. are law enforcement officials.