Former officer convicted in George Floyd's killing, Derek Chauvin, reportedly assaulted in prison
Derek Chauvin, convicted for George Floyd's murder, was assaulted in an Arizona prison A source disclosed that the former officer faced aggression while serving his sentence
The former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who was convicted in the killing of George Floyd in 2020, was reportedly attacked on Friday at a federal prison in Arizona. According to a source familiar with the matter, Chauvin is now in stable condition following the assault at the Federal Correctional Institution in Tucson.
FBI offices in Phoenix and Minneapolis have acknowledged being aware of an assault at the federal prison on Friday, but they did not specify the individual involved and referred CNN to the Bureau of Prisons for further details. Chauvin's attorney, Greg Erickson, informed CNN that he was in the process of obtaining confirmation.
A prisoner at Tucson prison was assaulted around 12:30 p.m., according to a statement from the Bureau of Prisons on Friday. Two sources told CNN that the prisoner was Chauvin. The bureau's statement mentioned that staff at the prison took life-saving measures for the injured prisoner, who was then moved to a hospital for further treatment. No staff members were harmed during the incident, the bureau also stated.
Chauvin was attacked at the medium-security prison where he was serving two concurrent sentences for the murder of Floyd.
In April 2021, Chauvin was found guilty on state charges of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter. He was given a 22 and a half-year prison sentence. Several months later, Chauvin pleaded guilty to federal charges of violating Floyd's civil rights and was sentenced to 21 years in prison.
Derek Chauvin, a White man, knelt on George Floyd's neck and back for over 9 minutes on May 25, 2020, in Minneapolis. Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, was handcuffed and lying face down on the street, repeatedly saying he couldn't breathe.
Floyd's death led to widespread protests against racial injustice in the US and around the world, highlighting the mistreatment of people of color, especially Black Americans, by the police. An investigation by the Minnesota Department of Human Rights determined that Minneapolis and its police department had engaged in a "pattern or practice of race discrimination," according to a report from 2022.
Earlier this week, Chauvin's appeal on his state conviction was rejected by the US Supreme Court. He argued that he didn't receive a fair trial. The high court rejected his appeal without comment or a recorded vote. This is a developing story and will be updated.
CNNs Taylor Romine contributed to this report.
