Former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin Transferred to Texas Prison After Being Stabbed, Thomas Lane Released

In a recent development, Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer convicted of killing George Floyd, has been transferred to a federal prison in Texas. The Federal Bureau of Prisons confirmed this information, stating that Chauvin was moved to the Federal Correctional Institution in Big Spring, which is a low-security prison.

Chauvin's transfer comes nearly nine months after he was viciously attacked in a different facility. In November 2023, a former gang leader and one-time FBI informant stabbed Chauvin 22 times. The motive behind the attack was reportedly Chauvin's notoriety for the killing of George Floyd.

Prior to his transfer to Texas, Chauvin was held at the Federal Correctional Institution in Tucson, Arizona. He was serving concurrent sentences for violating Floyd's civil rights (21 years) and second-degree murder (22 1/2 years).

Meanwhile, Thomas Lane, another former Minneapolis police officer involved in Floyd's death, has been released from federal prison in Colorado. Lane, who held down Floyd's legs as he struggled to breathe, was serving a three-year sentence for aiding and abetting manslaughter. He was the first among the four officers convicted in relation to Floyd's killing to be released.

Lane pleaded guilty to intentionally restraining Floyd in a way that he knew posed an unreasonable risk and caused his death. He acknowledged that he heard Floyd's pleas of not being able to breathe, noticed his silence, lack of pulse, and loss of consciousness.

The death of George Floyd in May 2020 sparked worldwide protests and a global conversation about racial injustice. Floyd, a Black man, died after Derek Chauvin, a white officer, pinned him to the ground, pressing his knee against Floyd's neck as he pleaded for breath. Lane and two other officers, J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao, were also involved in restraining Floyd during the 9 1/2-minute incident.

Derek Chauvin, who continues to maintain his innocence, is making an unlikely attempt to overturn his federal guilty plea. He claims that new evidence demonstrates he did not cause Floyd's death. However, if his efforts are unsuccessful, Chauvin will remain incarcerated until 2038.

The attack on Chauvin in prison highlights the security concerns surrounding his confinement. Chauvin's defense lawyer, Eric Nelson, had previously advocated for keeping him segregated from other inmates due to the risk he faced. The incident involving a prisoner named John Turscak, who targeted Chauvin because of his infamy in the Floyd case, occurred in November 2023.

The transfer of Derek Chauvin and the release of Thomas Lane mark significant developments in the aftermath of George Floyd's killing. The case continues to resonate as a pivotal moment in the ongoing fight against racial injustice.