‘I AM WORRIED AND SCARED’: Derek Chauvin’s mother says she heard about his prison stabbing after news reports

The mother of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer who was convicted on charges stemming from the death of GEorge Floyd in police custody on May 25, 2020, said she learned that her son was stabbed in prison Friday via news reports while his attorneys and family were kept in the dark on the incident. 

Chauvin was reportedly stabbed at an Arizona federal prison Friday afternoon. His mother, Carolyn Pawlenty told Alpha News, that the prison had not contacted her and that she was "worried and scared." He had been convicted of second-degree murder in the death of George Floyd,

"How the hell do these news agencies know and his own mother doesn’t even know?" she asked. "And that [prison] has an emergency contact number [for me]." 

"I have to stay strong for Derek as he does for me. There is no stronger love than a mother’s love,” Pawlenty said. 

Chauvin's Attorney Bill Mohrman told the outlet that as of Saturday afternoon, they had not heard from the prison. 

"We have attempted to contact the Bureau of Prisons regarding the media reports regarding Mr. Chauvin and we have not heard back,” he said. 

Another Attorney for the ex-police officer, Gregory M. Erickson told the Assciated Press that the "lack of communication with his attorneys and family members as completely outrageous." He added, "It appears to be indicative of a poorly run facility and indicates how Derek’s assault was allowed to happen.”

"How the family members who are in charge of Derek’s decisions regarding his personal medical care and his emergency contact were not informed after his stabbing further indicates the institution’s poor procedures and lack of institutional control,” Erickson told the outlet. 

In December 2021, Chauvin pleaded guilty to "willfully depriving Mr. Floyd of his constitutional right to be free from the use of unreasonable force by a police officer," and was charged with second-degree murder for the death of George Floyd, while Chauvin was attempting to arrest him. He was subsequently sentenced to 252 months in prison. 

In August 2022, he was transferred from the Minnesota State Prison to the Federal Correctional Institution in Tucson, Arizona, for his own safety. The move was to prevent him from being incarcerated with inmates he had arrested or investigated as a police officer. However, the Floyd case garnered national attention and launched riots across the country.

After Chauvin's sentencing, former US Attorney Tom Heffelfinger noted, "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."

In a recent Alpha News documentary called "The Fall of Minneapolis," Chauvin made his first statements since his conviction and called his trial process a "sham." He claimed the restraint he used to subdue Floyd was performed as instructed, and fellow officers noted how his knee was positioned across Floyd's back and not his neck. 

The Supreme Court ruled that it would not take up Chauvin's appeal for the second-degree murder charge. He is also attempting to overturn his guilty plea because 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.

Chauvin is reportedly in stable condition and is expected to survive Friday's attack.