Nearly 10 days after being stabbed 22 times in the Federal Correctional Institution in Tucson, AZ, Derek Chauvin has been released from the hospital and transported back to the prison to continue his recovery. The update was shared by Chauvin’s attorney, Gregory M. Erickson, in a statement on Monday (Dec. 4).
“Derek’s family confirmed that his medical condition has improved to the extent that he has been removed from the trauma care facility at a local Tucson hospital and returned to prison custody for his follow-up care,” Erickson said of Chauvin’s current condition and status – the stabbing occurred on November 24.
While he appears to be on the mend, his family continues to fight for better protection. According to Erickson, they aren’t confident in the prison’s ability to protect Chauvin and believe the prison isn’t taking the necessary precautions to prevent that from happening – with the stabbing being a perfect example.
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It was John Tursack who planned and executed the attempted murder of Derek Chauvin – in fact, he had been planning it for months. He used an improvised knife to stab Chauvin 22 times at around 12:30 p.m. in the law library at the prison. Chauvin was immediately transported to a local hospital for treatment.
Tursack chose to do it on Black Friday to symbolize what George Floyd meant to the Black Lives Matter movement. Chauvin – a former police officer – was found guilty of second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and manslaughter after pressing his knee into Floyd’s neck for 9 minutes and 29 seconds.
He also chose to execute the attack on Black Friday as a nod to the Mexican Mafia gang – referring to the ‘Black Hand of Death’ tattoo on their chest. Tursack used to be a high-level member of the Mexican Mafia, but he became an FBI informant in 1997. He was serving a 30-year sentence for racketeering.
While he has yet to be convicted of anything related to the stabbing, Tursack is currently being charged with “attempted murder, assault with intent to commit murder, assault with a dangerous weapon, and assault resulting in serious bodily injury,” according to PEOPLE. Derek Chauvin is expected to recover.
Attorney for Derek Chauvin Has Safety Concerns
Derek Chauvin’s family aren’t the only ones concerned for his safety and well-being. According to NBC News, his lawyer, Gregory Erickson, was ‘told to make a Freedom of Information Act request’ when he ‘tried to get information regarding changes in the prison’s procedures.’ He describes it as a ‘mystery.’
“It remains a mystery how the perpetrator was able to obtain and possess dangerous materials [that were able to be formed into an improvised knife], and how a guard was unable to reach and apprehend the perpetrator until Derek had been stabbed twenty-two times,” Erickson said of the Nov. 24 stabbing.
Erickson also questioned how Chauvin was allowed to enter the law library without a guard nearby, but reassured everyone that they would continue to do what they needed to do to ensure Chauvin is given the protection he deserves.
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Derek Chauvin is currently serving a 22-year sentence for his role in George Floyd’s death – a sentence that began in June 2022. He’s only two and a half years into the sentence and won’t be released until September 2038, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, so ensuring his protection won’t be easy.
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