Inmate Stabbed George Floyd Killer Cop Derek Chauvin 22 Times on Black Friday to Impress BLM: Suspect

The inmate accused of stabbing former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin in an Arizona prison said he stabbed the George Floyd killer in solidarity with Black Lives Matter and would have killed him had guards not quickly intervened, according to prosecutors.

Federal prosecutors say John Turscak stabbed Chauvin 22 times with an improvised knife at the Federal Correctional Institution in Tucson, Arizona, on the day after Thanksgiving, Black Friday, the Associated Press reports. Turscak is serving 30 years in federal prison for crimes he committed while a member of the Mexican Mafia gang, per the outlet.

The attack was reportedly carried out on Black Friday partially to be a "symbolic" gesture towards BLM, as per Turscak's own words in court documents.

“Turscak stated that his attack of [Chauvin] on Black Friday was symbolic with the Black Lives Movement and the ‘Black Hand’ symbol associated with the Mexican Mafia criminal association,” a federal complaint detailing charges filed against Turscak on Friday reads.

The complaint added that he told corrections officers he would have killed Chauvin had they not responded so quickly to the attack.

Floyd, a Black man, was killed by Chauvin while the ex-cop was on duty on May 20, 2020. News of Chauvin’s killing of Floyd and videos of the incident shared on social media led to nationwide protests, of which the Black Lives Matter movement was largely part of promoting and organizing in some cases. 

Chauvin has maintained that his trial over his killing of Floyd was a “sham.” He was convicted of murder and is serving a 21-year federal sentence for violating Floyd’s civil rights and a 22½-year state sentence for second-degree murder.

The Federal Correctional Institution in Tucson has a history of inmate violence. Chauvin’s mother claims that the prison didn’t contact her after her son was stabbed and needed life-saving measures. Chauvin was taken to a hospital after the attack for treatment.

Turscak has been charged with both attempted murder and assault with intent to commit murder.