Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer convicted of killing George Floyd, has been transferred to a federal prison in Texas, nearly nine months after being stabbed in his previous facility, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
Chauvin, 47, is now housed at the Federal Correctional Institution in Big Spring, a low-security prison. Previously, he was held at FCI Tucson in Arizona, where he was serving a 21-year federal sentence for violating Floyd’s civil rights alongside a 22.5-year state sentence for second-degree murder.
The transfer follows a violent incident in which Chauvin was stabbed 22 times by a former gang leader and FBI informant while at FCI Tucson.
In a separate development, Thomas Lane, another former Minneapolis officer involved in Floyd’s death, was released from federal prison in Colorado on Tuesday. Lane, 41, had served a three-year sentence for aiding and abetting manslaughter.
Lane had pleaded guilty to assisting in Floyd’s restraint in a manner he knew posed an unreasonable risk, acknowledging that he heard Floyd’s pleas, saw him lose consciousness, and had no pulse. Floyd, 46, died in May 2020 after Chauvin, who is white, pinned him down with his knee on Floyd’s neck as Floyd repeatedly said he couldn’t breathe. Lane held down Floyd’s legs, while J. Alexander Kueng, also a former officer, knelt on Floyd’s back, and Tou Thao, another officer, prevented bystanders from intervening.
Kueng and Thao are scheduled for release in 2025. Kueng is currently held at a federal prison in Ohio, while Thao is at a facility in Kentucky.
The death of Floyd, captured on video, ignited global protests and a reckoning over racial injustice.
Lane is the first of the four officers convicted in connection with Floyd’s death to be released. He served his federal sentence concurrently with his state sentence for civil rights violations.
Chauvin is currently attempting to overturn his federal guilty plea, citing new evidence he claims proves he did not cause Floyd’s death. If unsuccessful, he is not expected to be released until 2038.
John Turscak, who is serving a 30-year sentence for crimes related to his involvement with the Mexican Mafia, attacked Chauvin on November 24, 2023. Turscak reportedly targeted Chauvin due to his high-profile case. He was charged with attempted murder and claimed he would have killed Chauvin had the response not been swift.
FCI Tucson, where Chauvin was previously held, has been criticized for security lapses and staffing shortages. Chauvin’s former attorney, Eric Nelson, had argued for keeping Chauvin isolated from the general prison population due to safety concerns.
APN