US prosecutors announced attempted murder charges against a fellow inmate for stabbing Derek Chauvin, the disgraced former police officer known for the killing of George Floyd, more than 20 times with a shiv in an Arizona prison’s law library last month.
Chauvin, convicted for the murder of George Floyd that sparked widespread racial justice protests in 2020, was attacked by suspect John Turscak, 52. Turscak mentioned to investigators that the date of the assault, Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, was chosen deliberately to reference the Black Lives Matter movement.
Chauvin, sentenced to over two decades in prison for his role in George Floyd’s death by kneeling on his neck for nine minutes, faced this violent attack while incarcerated.
“Turscak told the corrections officers that he would have killed (Chauvin) had they not responded so quickly,” the complaint says.
The US District Attorney’s Office in Tucson filed charges against Turscak, including 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 previously been convicted of federal crimes in another district, approximately 22 times with an improvised knife,” a statement said.
Although neither the statement nor the complaint explicitly mentioned Chauvin’s full name, an official source confirmed to AFP that the victim of the attack was indeed the former Minneapolis police officer.
The charge of attempted murder holds a potential sentence of up to 20 years’ imprisonment.
No additional details were provided regarding Chauvin’s current condition following the assault.
Chauvin previously faced convictions for second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter in 2021, resulting in a prison sentence of 22-and-a-half years.
