Jason Van Dyke's wife speaks out after former CPD officer beaten in Conn. prison
CHICAGO -- Jason Van Dyke, the former Chicago police officer who shot and killed Laquan McDonald has been beaten in prison, and his wife is demanding answers.
Jason's wife, Tiffany, says that he was assaulted in his cell by more than one person after he was placed in the general population at a federal prison in Connecticut. Van Dyke's attorneys said the former officer was attacked on Feb. 7.
WATCH: Tiffany Van Dyke speaks about attack on husband in prison
Van Dyke had injuries to his head and face and is now in lockdown 23 hours a day, his attorneys said.
At a news conference Thursday morning, Tiffany Van Dyke said she has not been able to talk to her husband since his sentencing and pleaded for his safety. She said she did not even know he was taken to a federal facility until Wednesday.
"He was put in general population," she said. "That was not supposed to happen."
TIMELINE: Laquan McDonald shooting, Jason Van Dyke trial
Attorneys for Van Dyke said they were alerted to the attack through a confidential phone call by someone who works at the prison.
Van Dyke's family said they are all petrified and fear for Jason's life. His wife said the 40-year-old former officer just wants to serve his sentence and does not want any trouble.
RELATED: Jason Van Dyke sentenced to 6 years, 9 months in prison for Laquan McDonald murder
Van Dyke was sentenced last month to nearly seven years in prison after being convicted in connection with the fatal shooting of Laquan McDonald. He was being held at the Rock Island County Jail in the northwestern part of the state, but according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons he was recently moved to a low security correctional facility in Danbury, Connecticut, where the assault took place.
RELATED: Jason Van Dyke beaten in Connecticut prison, source confirms
It's unclear why he was transferred to that facility and if the inmates who assaulted him knew he was an ex-police officer.
A spokesman for the Fraternal Order of Police said, "We are deeply concerned about Jason's safety and we do not understand why the IDOC made the decision that led to this. We expect authorities to take the necessary steps to protect him and will not stop until we feel that they have done so."
Recently, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul and the special prosecutor Joseph McMahon, who won the convictions against Van Dyke, asked the Illinois Supreme Court to review the prison sentence he had been handed. They said they believe Cook County Judge Vincent Gaughan improperly applied the law in his sentencing.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
