Chicago police confirmed Friday that detectives are talking to two possible suspects in connection with the alleged attack on ”Empire” actor Jussie Smollett.
Chicago police said Friday night two persons of interest in the alleged attack on “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett are being released without charges. The men have been confirmed to be the men seen on surveillance images of the scene of the alleged incident. Chicago Police tell ABC News the reason the men were on the scene is now central to the investigation.”Yes, they are confirmed to be the men on scene by surveillance video,” Chicago Police said. “The reason why they were there is now central to the investigation and we can’t get into that at this time.”Chicago police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi released a statement saying, “Due to new evidence as a result of today’s interrogations, the individuals questioned by police in the Empire case have now been released without charging and detectives have additional investigative work to complete.”Guglielmi said the individuals are no longer being classified as suspects. The investigation remains ongoing. The lawyer representing the two men spoke Friday night after their release, saying she and the men gave police new evidence in the investigation. Friday morning Guglielmi said the two men have a relationship with Smollett. Friday morning police said the two had been classified as suspects and that at the time police believed they may have been involved in a crime. Multiple sources told ABC7 Eyewitness News in Chicago that police are investigating whether Smollett and the two men staged the attack allegedly because Smollett was being written off of “Empire.”A source familiar with the investigation told the ABC7 I-Team that Smollett failed to appear for an interview with detectives earlier Thursday but has since spoken with police. Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson contacted ABC7 to say they are continuing to treat Smollett as a victim and the investigation remains ongoing.
