In a significant development, federal prosecutors filed attempted murder charges against John Turscak, an inmate in Arizona, following the violent attack on Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer. Chauvin was assaulted in the Tucson penitentiary library, suffering 22 stab wounds from an improvised weapon. Turscak, aged 52, faces additional charges of assault causing serious bodily injury in the incident that occurred at approximately 12:30 p.m. on Black Friday.
Turscak allegedly selected Black Friday for the attack to represent the Black Lives Matter movement, which gained momentum after George Floyd’s death, for which Chauvin was convicted. The rapid response of federal corrections officers, who used pepper spray to subdue Turscak, was crucial in preventing a fatal outcome. Despite waiving his Miranda rights, Turscak confessed to planning the attack for a month and targeting Chauvin due to his notoriety.
If convicted on all counts, Turscak faces the possibility of 60 additional years to his current federal sentence, with his original release scheduled for 2026. The Bureau of Prisons’ policy prevents the release of updates on inmate health, emphasizing the safeguarding of safety and privacy.
Chauvin, serving over 20 years for the murder of George Floyd in 2020, was part of the arrest that led to Floyd’s death after a reported counterfeit transaction. The incident, captured on video, showed Chauvin kneeling on Floyd’s neck for an extended period, sparking nationwide unrest. Chauvin’s recent appeal for a new trial was denied by the Supreme Court, just days before the stabbing incident.