George Floyd killer police officer Derek Chauvin 'stabbed 22 times' in prison by former mafia member
2 December 2023, 07:03
Ex-police officer Derek Chauvin, who was jailed for the murder of George Floyd, was stabbed 22 times with an improvised knife by a former mafia member.
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Chauvin needed "lifesaving measures" from prison staff after the attack, which was said to be by fellow inmate Derek Turscak, at the Federal Correctional Institution in Tucson, Arizona on November 24.
Former Minneapolis police officer Chauvin was sentenced to 22 years in jail over the murder of George Floyd, which he is simultaneously serving alongside a 21-year federal sentence for violating Mr Floyd's civil rights.
Turscak - a former gang member - has been charged with attempted murder after the attack.
He attacked Chauvin on Black Friday, and told the FBI that he chose the date as a symbolic connection to the Black Lives Matter movement. The two names do not have any connection.
Turscak is also facing three assault charges and could have his sentence massively increased if found guilty. He had been due to get out by 2026.
Turscak was a member of a Mexican mafia group in Los Angeles. He turned FBI informant, taping his conversations with fellow gang members in the hopes of getting a lighter sentence.
Chauvin, who is expected to survive the attack, was moved from a prison in Minnesota to Arizona in August last year for his own protection.
In a statement, the US bureau of prisons said the inmate, who it did not name, was taken to a hospital for further treatment and evaluation.
No employees were injured and the FBI was notified, the bureau of prisons said. Visiting at the facility, which has about 380 inmates, has since been suspended.
Neither Chauvin's lawyers nor the FBI have responded to requests for comment.
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Chauvin, whose appeal against his murder conviction was rejected by the US Supreme Court last week, is making a bid to overturn his federal guilty plea on the grounds new evidence shows he did not cause Mr Floyd's death.
Mr Floyd died on May 25, 2020 after Chauvin pressed a knee on his neck for more than nine minutes on the street outside a convenience store where he was suspected of trying to pass a counterfeit 20 dollar bill.
Footage shared online captured Mr Floyd's fading cries of "I can't breathe", with his death sparking protests worldwide.
Three other former officers received lesser state and federal sentences for their roles in Mr Floyd's death.
