(StraightNews.org) – Derek Chauvin’s attorney says prison officials did not keep his family informed of his condition following a violent altercation in jail. The former police officer, convicted of second-degree murder following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis in 2020, was stabbed during an incident at a federal prison in Tucson, Arizona, on November 24.
Chauvin’s lawyer, Gregory M. Erickson, condemned the subsequent lack of transparency by prison authorities as a news blackout left the prisoner’s family in the dark about his well-being. Associated Press reports initially suggested Chauvin had suffered severe injuries, but Brian Evans, a spokesperson for the Minnesota attorney general’s office, said, “We have heard that he is expected to survive.”
The family’s attorneys say they met a brick wall when they tried to obtain information about Mr. Chauvin. “I view this lack of communication with his attorneys and family members as completely outrageous,” Erickson said.
On November 26, some information did, however, start to seep out. Minneapolis police chief Brian O’Hara said Chauvin was “stable,” but apparent safety and privacy concerns prevented him from commenting on the incident. He merely stated that Chauvin was hospitalized following an assault and did not name the other prisoner involved or provide details of weapons used.
A jury convicted Minneapolis cop Derek Chauvin of murder in June 2021 and sentenced him to 22 years in jail. The killing of George Floyd, who died as Mr. Chauvin held him to the ground with a knee on his neck, led to global protests, including rioting and destruction. Black Lives Matter led the demonstrations, saying the criminal justice system in the US is inherently and “systemically” racist.
During the trial, and subsequently, many people believed Mr. Chauvin was innocent of murder and had followed police procedure, but he was convicted on political grounds. His lawyers argued that Floyd died from cardiac arrhythmia, having suffered from hypertension and coronary disease, and ingesting a significant dose of methamphetamine and fentanyl immediately before his death.
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