Derek Chauvin stabbed after being transferred to federal prison 'for his own protection'

The federal prison in Arizona where Derek Chauvin was stabbed and seriously injured on Friday night was supposed to be safer for him than the Minnesota state prison he was moved from in August 2022. 

The ex-Minneapolis police officer, who was convicted of second-degree murder in the death of George Floyd in 2020, was moved to the federal prison because experts determined it would be less likely for him to be with inmates he had arrested or investigated during his time as an officer, the Daily Mail reports. 

Former US Attorney Tom Heffelfinger said after Chauvin's sentencing, "It's dangerous to be an officer in any prison." He added, "It's even more dangerous in state prison because of the nature of the inmate population. There are gangs, for example."

"And police officers just don't do well there. Those risks are reduced in a federal prison," Heffelfinger noted. 

Chauvin's lawyer during his trial, pushed for him to be kept away from the general prison population for fears of his safety. While in the Minnesota state prison, it is reported that Chauvin spent most of his day in a 10' by 10' cell for his own protection. 

After the assault occurred on Friday around 12:30 p.m., staff had to perform "life-saving measures" on the former officer, and he was subsequently transported to the hospital for further treatment and evaluation. Chauvin was later reported to be in stable condition and is expected to survive. 

Chauvin was accused of murdering George Floyd during an arrest in Minneapolis on May 25, 2020, which sparked months of riots across the country. He is currently serving 252 months after being convicted of second-degree murder, and pleading guilty to "willfully depriving Mr. Floyd of his constitutional right to be free from the use of unreasonable force by a police officer," in December 2021. 

After the assault, Attorney General of Minnesota, Keith Ellison told the Star Tribune, "I am sad to hear that Derek Chauvin was the target of violence." He continued, "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."

Recently as part of a new documentary called The Fall of Minneapolis, Chauvin called his trial process a "sham," in his first comments to the media. He said, the restraint used to subdue Floyd was performed as instructed, and fellow officers stated that his knee was positioned across Floyd's back. 

Chauvin is currently attempting to overturn his guilty plea, claiming that new evidence shows that Floyd may have died from an excessive amount of drugs in his system and not from the officer kneeling on him. The Supreme Court revealed recently that it would not hear an appeal against his second-degree murder conviction.