Derek Chauvin, the former police officer convicted of murdering George Floyd, was reportedly stabbed 22 times by a fellow inmate at the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) in Tucson, Arizona. Chauvin, 47, was attacked in the law library of the medium-security prison, which has been plagued by security lapses and staffing shortages.
The US Bureau of Prisons confirmed that an inmate was assaulted around 12:30 pm local time last Friday. Sources revealed that Chauvin was stabbed by 52-year-old John Turscak with an improvised knife. Turscak told correctional officers that he would have killed Chauvin had they not responded so quickly, according to prosecutors.
Chauvin is serving a simultaneous 21-year federal sentence for violating Floyd’s civil rights and a 22-year state sentence for second-degree murder. He was transferred to FCI Tucson from a maximum-security Minnesota state prison in August 2022.
The inmate explained that he chose Black Friday for the attack as an acknowledgement of Black Lives Matter and the “Black Hand” symbol connected to the Mexican Mafia group. Chauvin’s lawyer, Eric Nelson, had previously advocated for keeping him away from other inmates, anticipating that he would be a target.
In Minnesota, Chauvin was mainly kept in solitary confinement “largely for his own protection,” Nelson wrote in court papers last year. Chauvin’s appeal against his murder conviction was rejected by the US Supreme Court last week, and he is now attempting to overturn his federal guilty plea, claiming new evidence shows he did not cause Floyd’s death.
Attorney Greg Erickson told WCCO that the Chauvin family was “extremely disappointed they allowed this to happen” and that it was “not shocking” that Chauvin would be targeted. Erickson criticized FCI Tucson for not doing more to prevent the attack.
Chauvin’s family and attorneys have been attempting to obtain information about the attack but have struggled to find out what happened,” Erickson said. “It appears to be indicative of a poorly run facility and indicates how Derek’s assault was allowed to happen.”
George Floyd died on May 25, 2020, after Chauvin pressed his knee on Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes, sparking worldwide protests against police brutality and racism. Chauvin’s actions and the subsequent bystander video of Floyd’s fading cries of “I can’t breathe” ignited a national debate.
Following the attack, the FBI was notified, and visiting at the facility, which houses about 380 inmates, has been suspended. No employees were injured during the incident. Three other former officers received lesser state and federal sentences for their roles in Floyd’s death.
