It may seem like a distant memory now, but there has been new activity in the case of the alleged January attack of Empire actor Jussie Smollett.
Yesterday, the Chicago Police Department released the two 911 calls from the night when Smollett says that he was attacked.
What did the recordings say?
In the recordings, an unidentified caller who works for Smollett reported the incident.
“I just need the police to come by, I work for an artist,” the caller said. “I don’t really want to say his name. (Smollett) states that … he went to Subway and he was walking by and some guys, they jumped him or something like that. I just want to report it and make sure he’s all right.”
“They put a noose around his neck,” he continued. “They didn’t do anything with it, but put it around his neck. That’s pretty (expletive) up to me — sorry for saying it like that.”
The caller goes on to say that Smollett did not need any medical attention.
“He was cool, he didn’t want me to call you guys.”
On the second call, the person is upset by the lack of police response and how long it is taking the authorities to arrive.
“I thought they’d be here by now,” he says.
What happened in the Jussie Smollett case?
On the night of the call, Smollett claimed that he was in the Streeterville neighborhood of Chicago when he was attacked by two men around 2 a.m. He said that the men beat him up, poured an unknown substance on him, and tied a noose around his neck. While attacking him, the men allegedly screamed, “this is MAGA country.”
At first, other celebrities and fans alike, stood behind Smollett, shocked and hurt that something like this could take place.
His family even released a statement.
“In the early hours of Tuesday morning, our beloved son and brother, Jussie, was the victim of a violent and unprovoked attack,” his family said
after the attack in a statement obtained by PEOPLE.
“We want to be clear, this was a racial and homophobic hate crime,” the statement continued. “Jussie has told the police everything from the very beginning. His story has never changed, and we are hopeful they will find these men and bring them to justice. Our family thanks everyone for their prayers and the huge amount of love he has received. We are thankful to our village for your immense support during this trying time. We are so grateful that God saw him through this cowardly attack alive. Jussie is a warrior whose light cannot be dimmed.”
But then, as more details surrounding the attack started to emerge, people began to believe that the incident may not have gone the way that Smollett said it did.
What was the final verdict of the case?
In February, Smollett was accused of hiring the men who assaulted him and staging the whole attack. He was indicted for filing false police reports. However, in March, prosecutors dropped all 16 counts against the actor.
What is Smollett doing now?
As Empire goes into its final season of the series, the show’s creator Lee Daniels has announced that Smollett will not be continuing on the show.
The announcement came as a reply to Variety’s article claiming that the show was preparing for Smollett’s return.
“This is not factual,” Danielstweeted. “Jussie will NOT be returning to Empire-LD.”
Source: Read Full Article