Derek Chauvin, whose killing of George Floyd in Minnesota sparked mass protests for racial justice in 2020, was attacked in the law library of an Arizona prison.
Chauvin was sentenced to more than 20 years in prison after being convicted of killing 46-year-old Floyd, on whose neck he knelt for nine minutes.
The suspect in the prison attack, 52-year-old John Turscak, told investigators that the date of his attack – on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving in the US – was intended to appeal to the Black Lives Matter movement, according to the criminal. complaint.
“Turscak told corrections officers that he would have killed (Chauvin) if they had not responded so quickly,” the complaint said.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Tucson has charged Turscak with attempted murder, assault with intent to commit murder, assault with a dangerous weapon and assault resulting in serious bodily injury.
“Turscak stabbed another inmate, D.C., who had already been convicted of federal crimes in another district, approximately 22 times with a makeshift knife,” the prosecutor said in a statement.
Although neither the affidavit nor the complaint mention Chauvin’s full name, an official source confirmed he was the former Minneapolis police officer.
Attempted murder carries a prison sentence of up to 20 years.
No further information was provided on the condition of Chauvin, who was found guilty in 2021 of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and manslaughter and sentenced to 22 and a half years in prison.
The 2020 Chauvin and Floyd incident was captured on video, providing a drastically different version of events than the original police statement, which simply stated that “officers were able to handcuff the suspect and noted that he appeared to be having medical issues.”
A Justice Department investigation into the Minneapolis Police Department, whose findings were released in June 2023, found that department officers often resorted to violent and racist practices, “including unjustified deadly force.”
The city of Minneapolis, Minnesota, also settled a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the Floyd family and agreed to pay $27 million to the family.
Chauvin unsuccessfully appealed his murder conviction.
Source: DN
