Derek Chauvin Transferred to Texas Prison Following Stabbing: Latest on George Floyd Case
Staff Editor Derek Chauvin Transferred to Texas Federal Prison Following Stabbing Incident
Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, convicted in the killing of George Floyd, has been transferred to a federal prison in Texas, nearly nine months after being stabbed in a different facility. Chauvin, 47, is now housed at the Federal Correctional Institution in Big Spring, a low-security prison.
Previously held at FCI Tucson in Arizona since August 2022, Chauvin is serving concurrent sentences: a 21-year federal sentence for violating Floyd’s civil rights and a 22 1/2-year state sentence for second-degree murder. In November 2023, Chauvin was stabbed 22 times by John Turscak, a former gang leader and one-time FBI informant.
In related news, Thomas Lane, another former Minneapolis officer involved in Floyd’s death, has been released from federal prison in Colorado. Lane, 41, served a three-year sentence for aiding and abetting manslaughter. He admitted to intentionally helping restrain Floyd in a way that created an unreasonable risk and caused his death.
George Floyd, 46, died in May 2020 after Chauvin pinned him to the ground with a knee on Floyd’s neck for 9 1/2 minutes, despite Floyd repeatedly saying he couldn’t breathe. The incident, captured on bystander video, sparked worldwide protests against racial injustice.
Two other officers involved, J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao, are set to be released in 2025. Kueng is currently detained at a federal prison in Ohio, while Thao is at a facility in Kentucky.
Chauvin is making a longshot bid to overturn his federal guilty plea, claiming new evidence. If unsuccessful, he would not be released until 2038. The attack on Chauvin at FCI Tucson highlighted ongoing security concerns at the facility, which has been plagued by lapses and staffing shortages.
Turscak, who is serving a 30-year sentence for crimes associated with the Mexican Mafia prison gang, has been charged with attempted murder for the attack on Chauvin. He claimed he targeted Chauvin due to his notoriety for killing Floyd and stated he would have killed him had correctional officers not responded quickly.
