Minnesota AG decries stabbing of Derek Chauvin: Ex-officer shouldn't face 'fear of retaliation'

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison is decrying though his spokesman the stabbing of ex-police officer Derek Chauvin by a fellow inmate.

"I am sad to hear that Derek Chauvin was the target of violence," Ellison's spokesman, Brian Evans, told The Washington Post. "He was duly convicted of his crimes and, like any incarcerated individual, he should be able to serve his sentence without fear of retaliation or violence."

Chauvin was convicted of murdering George Floyd in summer 2020 and is currently serving his sentence at a prison in Arizona. 

The attack on Chauvin occurred in a medium security facility in Tucson, Ariz., a facility that is known for lapses in security and staffing issues, The Associated Press reported.

The Bureau of Prisons confirmed to AP that an inmate at the Tucson facility was attacked around 12:30 p.m. on Friday and that employees performed “life-saving measures” before the unnamed inmate was sent to the hospital.

Chauvin was sent to the Arizona prison in August 2022 and he is concurrently serving a 21-year federal sentence for the violation of George Floyd’s civil rights and a 22 1/2 year sentence state sentence for second-degree murder.

Floyd’s death lead to nationwide unrest in summer 2020 over what the protest movement described as racism in policing. Thousands of people took to the streets to protest Floyd’s death, with many protests devolving into violence and looting. At least six people died, according to The New York Times.

Chauvin’s attorney had previously requested that he be kept away from the general population because he might become a target over his conviction in Floyd’s death. In the summer of 2022, Chauvin’s lawyer wrote in a request for a 20-year sentence that Chauvin “spends much of his time in solitary confinement, largely for his own protection.”

Earlier this week, the Supreme Court declined to review Chauvin’s conviction as a result of the murder of George Floyd. He specifically requested the Supreme Court review his denied request for a venue change and determine whether the trial judge should have held a hearing on allegations of juror misconduct.