Ex-cop charged with George Floyd’s murder stabbed in federal prison
Derek Chauvin, the disgraced former Minneapolis police officer convicted in the George Floyd murder case, has found himself on the wrong end of violence behind bars. The ex-cop was stabbed at a federal prison in Tucson, Arizona yesterday (November 24).
The Federal Bureau of Prisons has officially confirmed the stabbing incident at the Tucson prison, though keeping mum on Chauvin’s identity. The attack occurred at 12.30pm yesterday local time (2.30am today, November 25 Thailand time), with swift containment by prison authorities preventing further casualties among inmates and staff.
Emergency medical technicians were quick to respond, implementing lifesaving measures before transporting the wounded inmate, later revealed to be Chauvin, to a local hospital for further evaluation. While details on his condition remain elusive, insiders claim he survived the attack.
Chauvin, infamous for his role in the murder of George Floyd, was serving a sentence of over two decades in federal prison. The white officer’s actions, kneeling on the neck of the black victim for nine and a half minutes in May 2020, sparked worldwide protests against police violence and racism.
Chauvin’s televised trial in April 2021 ended with a conviction of second-degree murder, with three other officers also found guilty of violating Floyd’s rights. Despite his attempts to appeal, the Supreme Court rejected Chauvin’s efforts this week, intensifying the legal storm surrounding him, reported Bangkok Post.
Chauvin joins the ranks of high-profile inmates facing violence within federal prisons, with parallels drawn to previous incidents involving Larry Nassar and James Bulger. The Federal Bureau of Prisons grapples with a severe shortage of corrections officers, leaving critical positions unfilled and relying on unconventional staff to manage security.
In related news, back in January five US police officers working in the state of Tennessee were charged with second-degree murder over fatally beating a black man.
The officers were found to have beaten 29 year old Tyre Nichols, during a traffic stop on January 7, in which they pulled him over for reckless driving. According to The Straits Times, Nichols’ family attorney, Ben Crump, says police beat him to the point of being unrecognisable. Read more about this story HERE.
