Featured Image Credit: Minnesota Department of Corrections/Ramsey County Sheriff's Office
Topics: News, US News, George Floyd, Crime, Police
Kit Roberts
Topics: News, US News, George Floyd, Crime, Police
The cop who was convicted of killing George Floyd has reportedly been stabbed while serving his prison sentence.
Floyd's death in May 2020 sparked moral outcry across the US and the world.
Derek Chauvin, at the time a police officer in Minneapolis, kneeled on Floyd's neck for 9 minutes and 29 seconds after he was detained on suspicion of attempting to use a counterfeit bill.
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Floyd's last words 'I can't breathe' became a rallying cry for people protesting against police brutality and racial injustice.
Now Chauvin, who has since been fired as a police officer, has been stabbed in prison, according US reports.
Chauvin, who was later found guilty of Floyd's murder, was sentenced to 22 years in prison. He was also given another 20-year sentence in July 2022 for violating Floyd's civil rights.
A source told The Associated Press that Chauvin was attacked by another inmate.
The Bureau of Prisons confirmed in a statement that an inmate in the Federal Correctional Institution in Tucson was stabbed at 12:30 local time on Friday (24 November).
Chauvin's attacker has not been named, and was said to taken to hospital for 'further treatment and evaluation'.
Staff at the prison were reported to having carried out 'life-saving measures' before Chauvin was transferred to hospital.
The former cop has been described as being in a 'stable' condition, and is expected to survive the injuries.
The Bureau of Prisons added that no employees were injured in the incident, and the FBI was also notified.
The facility, which houses around 380 prisoners, has also suspended visiting.
This comes just days after the US Supreme Court rejected Chauvin's appeal in which he claims he did not cause the death of Floyd.
His lawyers had also asserted that Chauvin had not been given a fair trial due to the enormous amount of publicity surrounding the case.
They also argued that he be placed in protective custody rather than in the prison's general population, believing that he would be a likely target of reprisals.
Chauvin was charged with second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and manslaughter. He was convicted on all counts in April 2021.
Medical examiners found that Floyd had died due to a lack of oxygen, which was caused by Chauvin pressing his knee on his neck and back
Other officers who had been present at the time assisted in restraining Floyd face down on the road, while another prevented bystanders from intervening.
Floyd's death sparked protests against police brutality and a breakdown of public trust in police after riot officers and tear gas were deployed against protestors in a number of locations as protests escalated.
UNILAD has reached out to Federal Correctional Institution, Tucson for further comment.