On Friday, December 1, John Turscak was charged with attempted murder after allegedly stabbing Derek Chauvin at the Federal Correctional Institution, Tucson. Additionally, federal prosecutors charged Turscak with assault with intent to commit murder, assault with a dangerous weapon and assault resulting in serious bodily injury.
The incident in question reportedly took place on November 24 at approximately 12:30 p.m. Turscak is accused of using an “improvised knife” to stab Chauvin nearly two dozen times. Immediately after the alleged attack, the Bureau of Prisons administered say “responding employees initiated life-saving measures.” Chauvin survived the attack and is reportedly in “stable condition.”
Chauvin is a former Minneapolis Police Department who was convicted of killing George Floyd on May 25, 2020. The former police officer, along with other now former officers Tou Thao, J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane, responded to a complaint made about the use of a counterfeit $20 bill. After arriving at the scene, Chauvin apprehended Floyd and video of the incident shows him kneeling on Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes while Floyd said he couldn’t breathe. Ultimately, Chauvin was arrested, charged, convicted and sentenced to 21 years in prison for violating Floyd’s civil rights and a 22.5 years in prison for second-degree murder.
“I am sad to hear that Derek Chauvin was the target of violence,” Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said.
“He was duly convicted of his crimes and, like any incarcerated individual, he should be able to serve his sentence without fear of retaliation or violence.”
