Derek Chauvin, the convicted murderer of George Floyd, was stabbed in federal prison, according to multiple reports by outlets.
First reported by the Associated Press and the New York Times, the attack reportedly happened by another inmate late Friday night at the Federal Correctional Institution at Tucson where Chauvin is being held.
It was confirmed by the office of Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison per CNN.
Although the identity of Chauvin wasn’t revealed, the Bureau of Prisons revealed that “an incarcerated individual” was assaulted at the prison at approximately 12:30 p.m.
“Responding employees initiated life-saving measures for one incarcerated individual,” before the individual was taken to the hospital for further treatment, said the bureau in their release. “No employees were injured during the incident,” confirmed the bureau.
The stabbing of Chauvin comes days after the convicted murderer had his appeal rejected by the U.S. Supreme Court. The former police officer attempted to argue that his conviction wasn’t based on a fair trial, claiming that the jury had an “interest against acquitting.”
The Supreme Court swiftly rejected the appeal.
In April 2021, Chauvin was found guilty on all three charges for the murder of George Floyd. Found guilty on charges such as second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter, he was given 22 ½ years in a maximum prison.
On May 25, 2020, the former police officer murdered 46-year-old George Floyd by pinning him to the ground with his knee on Floyd’s neck. Despite the pleas of Floyd for him to stop as he couldn’t breathe, Chauvin continued to put pressure on his neck for 9 minutes and 29 seconds.
Captured on video, Floyd’s killing set off a series of protests worldwide against police brutality and racism, advocating for reform. An estimated 12 million to 26 million were reportedly part of the planned protests in response to Floyd’s murder in the U.S. alone, making them the biggest protests in U.S. history.
In response to the killing and the protests, reforms were enacted in Minneapolis. In July, Hennepin County Judge Karen Janisch agreed to de-escalation, limitations on the usage of tear gas and other harmful chemicals as well as no more police stops for broken tailights or the smell of marijuana.
On a Congressional level, President Biden recently called for more work to be done for police reform.
“George Floyd’s murder exposed for many what Black and Brown communities have long known and experienced — that we must make a whole of society commitment to ensure that our Nation lives up to its founding promise of fair and impartial justice for all under the law,” said President Biden per a release.
“The injustice on display for the world to see sparked one of the largest civil rights movements in generations — with calls from all corners to acknowledge and address the challenges in our criminal justice system and in our institutions more broadly. I urge Congress to enact meaningful police reform and send it to my desk.”
