According to reports from various media outlets in the United States of America, Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer who was convicted of murdering George Floyd, has been stabbed by another inmate at the Federal Correctional Institution in Tucson, Arizona.
The incident occurred on Friday and sources familiar with the situation have stated that Chauvin is in a stable condition and is expected to survive. The Federal Correctional Institution in Tucson has not yet commented on the incident.
Floyd’s death in 2020 sparked widespread protests against police brutality and racism, with “I can’t breathe” becoming a rallying cry for change in the US and around the world. The Federal Bureau of Prisons has confirmed that an inmate at the Tucson prison was stabbed, but has not released the name of the inmate. No other inmates or prison staff were injured in the incident.
Chauvin was sentenced to 22 and a half years in prison in April 2021 after being found guilty of murder and manslaughter charges. In June 2022, he was sentenced to an additional 21 years in prison for violating Floyd’s civil rights in a separate case.
On Monday, the US Supreme Court refused to entertain Chauvin’s appeal against his second-degree murder conviction. Chauvin’s legal team contended that he was deprived of a fair trial due to pre-trial publicity and apprehensions about potential threats to public safety if he were to be acquitted.
Three additional ex-officers present during Floyd’s demise were handed prison terms ranging from three years to 57 months. In June, the findings of a US Justice Department investigation into the Minneapolis police revealed a pattern of officers frequently resorting to violent and racist methods, including the use of unjustifiable lethal force.
