Derek Chauvin, the former police officer who was convicted of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter in connection with the arrest of George Floyd. was reportedly stabbed by another inmate at the Federal Correctional Institution in Tucson. Floyd is serving concurrent sentences of 20 years for the state charges and 21 years on a federal charge of denying Floyd his civil rights.
“An incarcerated individual” was assaulted at the Tucson prison at approximately 12:30 p.m., the Bureau of Prisons said Friday. Two sources confirmed to CNN the individual was Chauvin.
“Responding employees initiated life-saving measures for one incarcerated individual,” and that person was transferred to a hospital for treatment, the bureau said in a release. “No employees were injured during the incident,” the release said.
The New York Times and Associated Press separately reported that Chauvin was stabbed and was in stable condition.
Questions are already being asked why Chauvin wasn't placed in isolation after being transferred from the high-security Minnesota prison where he was placed while awaiting sentencing.
Chauvin's attorney long advocated for separating him from the general population to protect his safety. He was kept in solitary confinement for more than six months while incarcerated at Oak Park Heights prison, Minnesota's high-security prison, where he awaited sentencing. It's not clear how long Chauvin remained in solitary after being transferred to federal facilities out of state.
"Violence is barbaric and tragic, and should never be cause for celebration," O'Hara said in a statement after being briefed on the assault. "Today's news is cause for quiet reflection while the world continues to process the trauma of George Floyd's murder. It is clear that this still reverberates with the people of Minneapolis and their police."
A lot of people did, indeed, see the news of Chauvin's stabbing as a "cause for celebration."
I'm not going to say means things about Derek Chauvin getting what he deserved
— Ski the Madman, Pro-choice, Anti-fascist🟧🟦 (@SeveralMadmen) November 25, 2023
But I WILL say he should have considered NOT casually murdering a man...
(...in front of witnesses)
(...who had cameras)
Just because he thought he could get away with it
(Cuz that's what he did)
No, it's good actually. I can't believe I have to say this, but Derek Chauvin is straight up a murderer. Was George Floyd a good person? No. But did he deserve being killed? No. Did he increase his chances of dying by taking fentanyl? Yes. Does that mean it wasn't murder? No. https://t.co/Nh9AdBDHsN
— SWMG | CS | EnderCraft 7393 ✝️ 🇺🇸 🇺🇦 🇮🇱 (@EnderCraft7393) November 21, 2023
Derek Chauvin deserved what he got, and every cop like him is gonna loose their badges one day because of him, and it'll be glorious!
— k2westlake (@k2westlake) November 20, 2023
The assault came a week after the premiere of Alpha News' documentary, "The Fall of Minneapolis," which questions the prevailing media narrative of Floyd's murder and attempts to garner sympathy for the four officers involved. The 102-minute film includes interviews with Chauvin and rookie Alexander.
Kueng, who was also convicted in Floyd's death.
"At the end of the day, the whole trial including sentencing was a sham," Chauvin told Alpha News during a phone interview from prison.
"He had a fair trial and the whole world saw it," Ellison said in response to that.
The Supreme Court recently turned down an appeal from Chauvin without comment and without a published vote. This isn't surprising given the can of worms the Supreme Court would open if they granted Chauvin a new trial. The justices read the newspapers and watch the news channels. They are not going to light the fuse on another powder keg.
No, that's not "justice." But neither is a police officer kneeling on your neck for nine minutes. George Floyd may have been guilty of many things, but none of them deserved capital punishment.
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