Prisoner charged with attempted murder in stabbing of George Floyd’s killer

WASHINGTON:

An inmate was charged Friday with attempted murder and other crimes after the stabbing of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer convicted in the death of George Floyd, the US Department of Justice said in a statement.

The complaint accuses John Turscak, 52, of stabbing Chauvin about 22 times “with an improvised knife” on Nov. 24 while he was incarcerated at the Tucson Federal Correctional Institution, prosecutors said.

According to prosecutors, Turscak was charged with attempted murder, assault with intent to murder, assault with a dangerous weapon and assault resulting in serious bodily injury.

Turscak is serving a 30-year sentence for crimes committed while a member of the Mexican Mafia gang.

The investigation into the case was conducted by the FBI.

“Turscak stated that his attack on DC (Derek Chauvin) on Black Friday was symbolic of the Black Lives Matter movement and the Mexican Mafia criminal organization,” the complaint said.

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A former police officer convicted of the death of George Floyd was stabbed in prison

Turscak also told investigators he had been considering attacking the former police officer for about a month because of his high profile, according to prosecutors.

Turscak’s attorney was not listed in court records.

Attempted murder and assault with intent to commit murder offenses carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, while assault with a dangerous weapon and assault resulting in serious bodily injury carry a maximum sentence of 10 years.

Chauvin was expected to survive, the Minnesota Attorney General’s office said after the stabbing.

Chauvin is serving a 21-year sentence for violating Floyd’s civil rights and a concurrent 22-1/2 years for murder after being convicted in a Minnesota court.

Floyd’s death in 2020 sparked worldwide protests against police brutality and racism after Chauvin, who is white, knelt on the neck of the handcuffed black man for more than eight minutes in a killing captured on cellphone video .