An attorney for Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer who fatally knelt on George Floyd during a May 2020 arrest, slammed federal prison officials following the stabbing of his client.
On Friday (Nov. 24), reports surfaced that Chauvin was stabbed by a fellow inmate at the Federal Correctional Institution in Tuscon, Arizona where he is serving a 21-year federal sentence for violating Floyd’s rights simultaneously with a 22.5-year state sentence for second-degree murder.
The Bureau of Prisons confirmed the assault, saying prison employees performed “life-saving measures” before an inmate was transported to a hospital for further treatment and evaluation. Spokesperson for the Minnesota attorney general’s office Brian Evans said Saturday (Nov. 25) that Chauvin was “expected to survive” after being seriously injured in the stabbing.
Chauvin’s attorney Gregory M. Erickson slammed the prison for its lack of transparency, saying the family was forced to make assumptions about the ex-officer’s medical status based only on news accounts, per CBS News. Erickson said he’s been contacting prison officials for updates but hasn’t been provided any information.
“As an outsider, I view this lack of communication with his attorneys and family members as completely outrageous,” Erickson said in a statement. “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,” he added.
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