Derek Chauvin.Photo: ALEX LEDERMAN/AFP via Getty
Former Minneapolis police officerDerek Chauvinhas returned to prison custody following an improved medical condition after his recent stabbing in an Arizona prison, his lawyer confirms.
Chauvin’s attorney Gregory M. Erickson says in a statement to PEOPLE, “Derek’s family confirmed that his medical condition has improved to the extent that he has been removed from the trauma care facility at a local Tucson hospital and returned to prison custody for his follow-up care.”
Erickson adds that Chauvin’s family “is very concerned about the facility’s capacity to protect Derek from further harm” and that “they remain unassured that any changes have been made to the faulty procedures that allowedDerek’s attack to occurin the first place.”
Chauvin, 47, was stabbed 22 times on Nov. 24 in the Federal Correctional Institution in Tucson. He was “transported to a local hospital for further treatment and evaluation” after the stabbing, the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) stated at the time.
Derek Chauvin.SplashNews.com
Inmate John Tursack has since been charged with attempted murder of Chauvin, along with assault with intent to commit murder, assault with a dangerous weapon, and assault resulting in serious bodily injury to Chauvin, who is serving a 22-year sentence over the murder ofGeorge Floyd.
According to court documents, perCNN, Tursack, 52, stabbed Chauvin with an “improvised knife” after planning the attack for months.
The stabbing occurred at approximately 12:30 p.m. local time as Chauvin was in the law library at the Federal Correctional Institution in Tucson“causing serious bodily injury,” the federal complaint stated, per the outlet.
Erickson says in his statement that Chauvin confirmed that “the facts contained in the charging document are accurate” to his family.
George Floyd; Derek Chauvin.Splash
Minneapolis police chief Brian O’Hara and a spokesperson for state attorney general Keith Ellison’s office told PEOPLE in statements that Chauvin was on the mend.
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In July 2022,Chauvin pleaded guiltyto federal charges of violating the civil rights ofGeorge Floyd, a Black Minneapolis man, after he pressed his knee on his neck, killing him, during an arrest on May 25, 2020.
The former police officerwas later convicted ofsecond-degree murder, third-degree murder and manslaughter in the killing of Floyd, and sentenced to more than 20 years in prison.
source: people.com