The Chicago police released the body cam footage of Jussie Smollett case of that night. This footage is basically a part of hundreds of files that are released by Chicago Police from their investigation regarding the case.
All this started when the ex-Empire actor says he was attacked at 2 a.m. near his apartment in Chicago and had an “unknown chemical substance” poured on him and wrapped a rope around his neck in a racist and homophobic attack held on January 29.
Then the investigation was started by the Chicago police and they were seeking for two persons who were captured on surveillance video near the scene and round the time of the alleged attack.
Smollett’s family also released an emotional statement on Jan 31 telling the alleged attack as a hate crime. The family wrote in the statement to ABC News which stated, “In the early hours of Tuesday morning, our beloved son and brother, Jussie, was the victim of a violent and unprovoked attack. We want to be clear, this was a racial and homophobic hate crime,”
The statement further added, “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.”
The Chicago Police said that he staged the whole thing. In the released footage from the night, you can see Smollett appears to have the rope still around his neck.
In the starting of the footage, you can see two police officers entering to Smollett’s apartment building in Chicago at about 8:43 am in the morning which is almost seven hours after the alleged attack.
While entering the apartment they first met Frank Gatson, who introduces himself as Jussie Smollett’s “creative director”.
He further tells the police: “I work with him. He is like a star, works on the show Empire. So I think he doesn’t want it to be a big deal.”
He also further added that he’s emotional for the reason that the attackers put a makeshift noose around Jussie Smollett’s neck.
There is an additional video that shows Abel and Ola Osundairo in a cab on the night the police were called. These two brothers are also accused of helping to stage the alleged attack and as per to the police, these two were also paid to pose as the racist and homophobic attackers by Jussie Smollett.
Two weeks later, they were also arrested after which they started cooperating with the police. They said that they helped to stage the attack.
Jussie Smollett was also arrested about three weeks after the alleged attack. He was then charged with filing a false police report.
Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson about this case said that Smollett “took advantage of the pain and anger of racism to promote his career”.
Smollett was also got suspended from Empire, and it was also later confirmed that he wouldn’t return for the show’s final season.
But all the charges against Jussie Smollett were dropped about a month after he was arrested.
Illinois prosecutor Joe Magats told CBS that even though he decided to drop the charges but he still thinks Smollett was guilty.
But then he explained the charges were dropped for the reason that Jussie forfeited a $10,000 (£7,600) bond payment as well as carried out community service.
