Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, currently serving a 22-year sentence for the murder of George Floyd, has been transferred from a local hospital back to prison “for his follow-up care,” according to his attorney, Gregory Erickson. Chauvin was reportedly stabbed multiple times by a fellow inmate at the Federal Correctional Institution in Tucson, Arizona, on November 24th.
“The family is very concerned about the facility’s capacity to protect Derek from further harm,” said Erickson in a statement Sunday. “They remain unsure if any changes have been made to the faulty procedures that allowed Derek’s attack to occur.”
Charging documents revealed that Chauvin was stabbed 22 times in the prison library by the inmate, John Turscak, who is now facing charges related to the stabbing. The charges, including attempted murder and assault with intent to commit murder, each carry a punishment of up to 20 years in prison. Turscak is scheduled to complete his current sentence in 2026.
Turscak allegedly used an improvised knife in the attack and boasted to correctional officers that he would have killed Chauvin if they hadn’t responded so quickly. The incident took place in the law library, with Turscak attacking Chauvin from behind.
Turscak claims that his motivation for the attack was related to black lives matter movement and a connection to the Mexican Mafia gang, in which he is a member. Following the attack, Chauvin’s legal team expressed concerns about his safety in the Tucson prison.
Since the stabbing, Turscak has been relocated to an adjacent federal penitentiary in Tucson, where he remains in custody. Chauvin’s legal team is working to have him removed from the Tuscon prison unless significant changes are made to ensure his safety. Despite these concerns, Erickson’s attempts to learn if any changes were being made were reportedly rejected.
Source: CBS Minnesota
