The Former Officer Convicted of George Floyd’s Killing Transferred to Federal Prison in Texas
Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer who was convicted of killing George Floyd, has been transferred to a federal prison in Texas. This move comes almost nine months after he was stabbed in a different facility. The federal Bureau of Prisons confirmed the transfer to the Associated Press on Tuesday.
Chauvin, aged 47, is now housed at the Federal Correctional Institution in Big Spring, a low-security prison. He previously served in Arizona at FCI Tucson before his transfer. He is serving a 21-year federal sentence for violating Floyd’s civil rights and a 22 1/2-year state sentence for second-degree murder.
This transfer follows the incident where Chauvin was stabbed 22 times by a former gang leader and FBI informant while in prison.
Another former Minneapolis officer, Thomas Lane, who was involved in restraining Floyd during the incident, was released from federal prison in Colorado. Lane, aged 41, had been serving a three-year sentence for aiding and abetting manslaughter.
Lane admitted to intentionally restraining Floyd in a way that caused his death, despite hearing Floyd express his inability to breathe and witnessing him lose consciousness.
The incident, where Floyd, a Black man, died after being pinned down by Chauvin’s knee on his neck, led to worldwide protests in 2020 against racial injustice.
Chauvin is currently attempting to overturn his federal guilty plea, claiming new evidence proves he did not cause Floyd’s death. If unsuccessful, he will remain in prison until 2038.
The attacker, John Turscak, who targeted Chauvin due to his notoriety, is serving a 30-year sentence for crimes tied to the Mexican Mafia prison gang.
The transfer of Chauvin to Texas comes after concerns were raised about security lapses and staffing shortages in FCI Tucson, where he was initially held. Chauvin’s lawyer had advocated for keeping him separated from the general prison population due to safety concerns.
The transfer of Chauvin and the release of Lane mark significant developments in the aftermath of George Floyd’s tragic killing, which sparked a global movement for racial equality and justice.
For more related stories on this topic, you can visit the Associated Press website.
