The nation and the world was put into a state of shock when it was reported that Empire star Jussie Smollett was attacked and allegedly lynched while walking from a Subway in the early morning in a Chicago neighborhood. The report drew ire from every media outlet as well as many politicians who had not waited for any word from investigators before commenting.
While walking at 2:00 am in his neighborhood shortly after purchasing food from a 24-hour Sandwich shop, Smollett over heard someone screaming "Empire." Shortly thereafter, he was punched while the perpetrators yelled "This is MAGA country" and racial and homophobic slurs. They put a rope around his neck and according to Smollett poured "bleach" on him.
The attack prompted the Chicago Police Department to spend countless hours searching for the attackers. Examining footage from the many street cameras, the police found two persons of interest in the same area as the attack occurred. And there was a search to find the two persons of interest.
Chicago PD spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said “we can confirm that the information received from the individuals questioned by police earlier in the Empire case has in fact shifted the trajectory of the investigation.” He went on to add “we’ve reached out to the Empire cast member’s attorney to request a follow-up interview.”
The two persons of interest that appeared on the street camera were allegedly brothers, and were arrested on Wednesday, then released on Friday without charges. Following the discovery of "new evidence." It has been reported that, " reported that the two men are now cooperating fully with law enforcement."
According to CBS Chicago, "Jussie Smollett Case: Brothers Questioned By Police Were Paid $3,500 To Stage Attack, Which Was Rehearsed Days Before." Sources familiar with the case claim Smollett paid for the rope, which was purchased at the Crafty Beaver Hardware Store in the Ravenswood neighborhood the weekend of Jan. 25.
Also were the claims that one of the brothers held the rope and poured bleach, while the other yelled racist homophobic slurs.
As a victim of a hate crime who has cooperated with the police investigation, Jussie Smollett is angered and devastated by recent reports that the perpetrators are individuals he is familiar with. He has now been further victimized by claims attributed to these alleged perpetrators that Jussie played a role in his own attack. Nothing is further from the truth and anyone claiming otherwise is lying.
One of these purported suspects was Jussie’s personal trainer who he hired to ready him physically for a music video. It is impossible to believe that this person could have played a role in the crime against Jussie or would falsely claim Jussie’s complicity.
Jussie and his attorneys anticipate being further updated by the Chicago Police Department on the status of the investigation and will continue to cooperate. At the present time, Jussie and his attorneys have no inclination to respond to “unnamed” sources inside of the investigation, but will continue discussions through official channels.
Did Smollett stage the attack to make the claim that MAGA supporters were racist and homophobic as the media outlets are reporting? Or was he genuinely attacked as he and his lawyers claim. The Chicago police department is leaning toward a staged incident as the media is reporting. WECU News reports you can draw your own conclusions.
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