Derek Chauvin stabbed in prison, given life-saving treatment: Report
Former Minneapolis Police Officer Stabbed in Prison
Former Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin was reportedly stabbed in prison by another inmate on Friday, resulting in serious injury.
Chauvin was found guilty in the contentious and highly-publicized case concerning the death of George Floyd and is currently serving a 20-plus year sentence for second-degree murder.
The Bureau of Prisons confirmed that an inmate was assaulted at Federal Correctional Institution, Tucson — a medium-security prison — at 12:30 p.m. on Friday. Responding employees at the prison “contained the incident and performed ‘life-saving measures’” before the inmate was transferred to a local hospital for further treatment and evaluation, the Associated Press reported Friday.
The bureau did not name the inmate in the incident, but a source told the AP that Chauvin was the victim in the attack, adding that he was stabbed during the assault.
In the aftermath of the attack, the prison has stopped visitations to the facility, which has reportedly been plagued by staffing shortages and security lapses.
Chauvin’s Attorney Raises Concerns
Eric Nelson, Chauvin’s attorney, argued last year that his client “spends much of his time in solitary confinement, largely for his own protection,” suspecting Chauvin would be a target due to the “intense publicity surrounding his case.”
Earlier this year, attorney William Mohrman filed an appeal at the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of Chauvin, arguing, in part, that his client was denied the right to a fair trial. However, last week, the high court decided to decline to hear the appeal.
Videos of Floyd’s detainment on the ground by Chauvin went viral in 2020, sparking protests and riots across the U.S. and even Europe. Mohrman argued that holding the trial in Minneapolis, where the incident occurred, effectively guaranteed Chauvin an unfair trial.
“Under the Sixth Amendment of the U. S. Constitution, every criminal defendant is guaranteed a right to a fair trial,” the attorney told The Daily Wire via a phone interview. “And part of that fair trial-right is not to be tried in a location where the jurors have either been exposed to extensive pre-trial publicity, or there has been such community outrage and the like that the jurors, before they even were impaneled before the trial, would have concluded the defendant’s guilty, or would have been pressured into rendering a guilty verdict.”
“When that happens,” Mohrman said, “the Supreme Court precedents require that the case be moved to another location or venue, as the law puts it.” But this is not what happened in Chauvin’s case.
“During the questioning, I would say the vast majority — not only the vast majority, probably 75 to 80 percent of the jurors — expressed concerns for their own personal safety as a result of being impaneled on the jury,” he said. “Virtually every juror had obviously heard about the case, knew about the riots, had seen the videos that were taken when George Floyd was arrested; virtually all the jurors have seen that, so it’s difficult in a case like that to impanel the jury where the jurors haven’t formed firm conclusions before the trial even starts.”
Mohrman noted that the legal team’s “primary argument” is that “due to the riots that took place in Minneapolis, every juror who was impaneled had a stake in the outcome of the trial, because no juror would want to see their communities burned again in riots.”
There is also a Federal Civil Rights conviction against Chauvin, for which he is serving over 20 years concurrently with his state sentence. Challenging that conviction is a separate legal action.
Related: Supreme Court Rejects Derek Chauvin Appeal
In light of this incident, what steps can be taken to ensure the safety of high-profile inmates like Chauvin and prevent future attacks in prison
In a shocking incident, former Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin was reportedly stabbed in prison by another inmate on Friday, resulting in serious injury. Chauvin, who was found guilty in the highly-publicized case concerning the death of George Floyd, is currently serving a 20-plus year sentence for second-degree murder.
The Bureau of Prisons confirmed that the inmate assault took place at the Federal Correctional Institution in Tucson, a medium-security prison. Prison employees managed to contain the incident and perform life-saving measures before transferring the injured inmate to a local hospital for further treatment and evaluation.
Although the Bureau of Prisons did not disclose the name of the victim, a source informed the Associated Press that Derek Chauvin was indeed the target of the attack and was stabbed during the assault. The prison has halted visitations following the incident, which has highlighted ongoing staffing shortages and security lapses.
Chauvin’s attorney, Eric Nelson, had raised concerns in the past about the safety of his client, noting that Chauvin spent much of his time in solitary confinement for his own protection. Nelson believed that Chauvin would be a target due to the intense publicity surrounding his case.
Earlier this year, attorney William Mohrman filed an appeal on behalf of Chauvin at the U.S. Supreme Court, arguing that his client was denied the right to a fair trial. The appeal was aimed at changing the venue of the trial, as holding it in Minneapolis, where the incident occurred, effectively guaranteed Chauvin an unfair trial. However, last week, the Supreme Court declined to hear the appeal, further diminishing any hopes of a retrial.
The case involving George Floyd’s death and Chauvin’s trial received widespread attention and sparked protests and riots not only across the United States but also in Europe. The videos of Floyd’s detainment on the ground by Chauvin went viral in 2020, raising questions about police brutality and racial injustice.
The stabbing incident in prison serves as a reminder of the ongoing tensions and potential dangers faced by high-profile inmates like Chauvin. It also sheds light on the challenges faced by correctional facilities in maintaining security and ensuring the safety of all prisoners. As the investigation into the attack continues, it remains to be seen what additional measures will be taken to address these concerns and prevent future incidents.
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