There’s still a lot we don’t know about the
Ever since Jussie Smollett, the star of “Empire” on Fox, reported that he was beaten by two masked men yelling racist and homophobic slurs early Tuesday morning, Chicago police have been slow to find corroborating evidence. TMZ and other outlets have corrected several of their initial reports of the alleged incident. Here is what we currently know.
According to Chicago reporter Rob Elgas, when police arrived to take a report, Smollett asked that the officers turn off their body cameras. A Chicago Police Department spokesperson said this is not uncommon and that when entering a private residence, officers are supposed to inform citizens they are wearing cameras.
Chicago PD also said when they arrived at the apartment, Smollett was still wearing the noose attackers put around his neck, and others reported he wore it throughout their entire 40-minute interview.
Using building security footage, Police confirmed that Smollett was, “wearing a rope like a neck tie,” when he walked into the lobby of his building.
Several media outlets reported that Smollett refused to turn over his phone and phone records to police. He said he was on the phone with his manager when the attack happened, and the manager was the one who called 911 dispatch.
