Former Minneapolis officer Derek Chauvin, who is currently doing federal and state time for the killing of George Floyd, was stabbed last week by a fellow inmate. After a a day or so, officials have confirmed he will survive the attack.
Many anticipated that Chauvin would have opps both outside and inside the prison system given the national outrage over the video of the 2020 incident, in which he’s seen kneeling on Floyd’s neck on the street for nearly 10 minutes as Floyd cries for help.
Prison staff performed “life-saving measures” on Chauvin before he was brought to a hospital for treatment, the AP’s reporting indicated.
Staffing shortages and security lapses have plagued the Tucson prison where Chauvin was stabbed. It was the second high-profile stabbing of a federal prisoner since July, when convicted serial sexual abuser Dr Larry Nassar was stabbed by a fellow inmate at a penitentiary in Florida.
Chauvin attorney Gregory Erickson complained to the AP on Saturday that federal prison officials had not been transparent about the previous day’s stabbing, forcing his client’s family to rely on news accounts for updates.
“I view this lack of communication … as completely outrageous,” Erickson said in a statement to the AP. “It appears to be indicative of a poorly run facility and indicates how Derek’s assault was allowed to happen.”
A statement from Ellison decried Chauvin’s stabbing, saying: “He was duly convicted of his crimes and, like any incarcerated individual, he should be able to serve his sentence without fear of retaliation or violence.”