Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who was convicted of murder in the death of George Floyd in 2020, was stabbed and seriously injured at a federal prison in Arizona on Friday, according to the Minnesota attorney general.

The Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) confirmed the incident, stating that an unnamed inmate at the Federal Correctional Institution in Tucson was stabbed around 12:30 p.m. on Friday. Prison employees swiftly responded to the incident, containing it and providing life-saving measures. The injured inmate was subsequently transported to a hospital for further treatment and evaluation. The BOP has notified the FBI about the incident.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison expressed his disappointment over the act of violence, stating that while Chauvin was duly convicted for his crimes, as an incarcerated individual, he should be able to serve his sentence without fear of retaliation or violence. Ellison conveyed his hope for Chauvin's recovery.

Further details about the inmate's condition and the attack have not been disclosed by the BOP, citing privacy and safety reasons. Chauvin's appellate court lawyer, Gregory M. Erickson, expressed concern about his client's safety in prison, particularly in light of previous security breaches at the facility.

In November, an inmate in a low-security section of FCI Tucson attempted to shoot a visitor. Erickson expressed frustration at his attempts to gather information about the attack, stating that he had been rebuffed when contacting the Bureau of Prisons.

Derek Chauvin was transferred to FCI Tucson, a medium-security prison, in August 2022. He is currently serving a 20-year federal sentence for violating George Floyd's civil rights and a 22½-year state sentence for second-degree murder. Chauvin's appeal of his state conviction was rejected by the U.S. Supreme Court earlier this week.

Chauvin, a white former officer, was found guilty in 2021 by a 12-member Hennepin County jury of second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and manslaughter on the state charges. He is separately appealing his federal civil rights conviction, asserting that new evidence disproves his responsibility for Floyd's death.

The death of George Floyd, a Black man, in May 2020 sparked nationwide protests against police brutality after a bystander video captured Chauvin pressing his knee onto Floyd's neck for over nine minutes. Floyd's desperate pleas of "I can't breathe" drew widespread attention and led to a national reckoning on the issue of police use of force.