Derek Chauvin, ex-police officer convicted in George Floyd's killing stabbed in jail

Derek Chauvin, a former Minneapolis police officer who was convicted in the 2020 killing of George Floyd, suffered a stabbing on Friday at a federal prison in Arizona, CNN reported citing a person with knowledge of the situation.

According to the source, Chauvin's status is stable after the attack in Tucson's Federal Correctional Institution.

Meanwhile, when asked about Chauvin's stabbing, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) offices in Phoenix and Minneapolis responded saying that they were aware of an incident that occurred at the federal prison on Friday.

However, they did not name the perpetrator but Chauvin’s attorney Greg Erickson said he was working on getting confirmation, CNN reported.

The Bureau of Prisons, in a statement on Friday, said "an incarcerated individual" was assaulted at the Tucson prison at approximately 12:30pm.

Two sources confirmed the individual to be Chauvin.

According to the bureau's statement, "responding employees initiated life-saving measures for one incarcerated individual,” and that person was taken to a hospital for treatment while no employees were injured during the incident.

Chauvin was found guilty in April 2021 on state charges of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.

He received a sentence of 25 years in prison. A few months later, Chauvin admitted to violating Floyd's civil rights in federal court and his sentence was reduced to 21 years in prison.

Chauvin, a white cop, knelt on a 46-year-old Black man named George Floyd for over nine minutes in Minneapolis on May 25, 2020. Floyd was handcuffed and pleaded for air.

This incident sparked nationwide and global protests against police treatment of people of colour, particularly Black Americans.

Minneapolis' police department has been accused of race discrimination, according to a 2022 report by the Minnesota Department of Human Rights.

Furthermore, earlier this week, the US Supreme Court rejected an appeal from Chauvin on his state conviction, who claimed he did not receive a fair trial. The high court rejected the accused cop's appeal without comment or a recorded vote.