Former officer convicted of George Floyd murder stabbed in prison
Steven Miller
Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer who was convicted of murdering George Floyd, was stabbed by another inmate at a federal prison in Arizona and is in stable condition, according to a report by CNN.
Chauvin, who was sentenced to 22.5 years in prison in June, was transferred to the Federal Correctional Institution in Phoenix in July, where he is serving his time in a high-security unit. He was attacked on November 28 by a fellow prisoner who used a makeshift knife, also known as a shank, to stab him in the neck and chest, the report said.
The incident was not reported to the public until November 29, when CNN obtained a copy of an incident report from the prison. The report did not identify the attacker or the motive for the stabbing, but said that Chauvin was taken to the prison's medical unit and treated for his wounds, which were not life-threatening.
The report also said that Chauvin's family was not notified of the attack until November 29, more than 24 hours after it occurred. The reason for the delay was not explained, but the report said that the prison staff followed the "appropriate notification procedures".
The stabbing of Chauvin raises questions about the safety and security of the prison system, especially for high-profile inmates who may face threats from other prisoners or staff. Chauvin's case has sparked nationwide protests and calls for police reform and racial justice, after he was captured on video kneeling on Floyd's neck for more than nine minutes, causing his death, in May 2020.
Chauvin's lawyer, Eric Nelson, did not respond to requests for comment on the stabbing, but he has previously said that he plans to appeal Chauvin's conviction and sentence on several grounds, including allegations of juror misconduct, prosecutorial errors, and judicial bias.
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