Chicago police attempting to get portions of Smollett assault case in front of grand jury
Police are still waiting to re-interview the 'Empire' actor over allegations that he played a part in his alleged attack; Matt Finn has the latest.
Jussie Smollett's siblings are standing by their brother amid claims that the "Empire" star orchestrated an alleged hate attack against himself.
Smollett's brother, Jocqui, posted an Instagram photo that read, "This is the media, an irresponsible media. It will make the criminal look like he's the victim and make the victim look like he's the criminal. If you aren't careful, the media will have you hating the people who are being oppressed and loving the people who are doing the oppressing."
Smollett's sister, Jurnee Smollett-Bell, reposted the image.
CHICAGO POLICE PUSHING FOR JUSSIE SMOLLETT CASE TO MOVE TOWARD A GRAND JURY, SOURCES SAY
Later, Jocqui posted another image that read, "I have a feeling even if we had video of Jussie Smollett being attacked... y'all would still discredit him. Because it's easier to believe what aligns with your contempt for survivors of hate crimes, sexual abuse, etc who happen to be LGBTQ+, disabled or women."
'EMPIRE' STAR JUSSIE SMOLLETT RECOUNTS ALLEGED HATE ATTACK AS POLICE IDENTIFY PERSONS OF INTEREST
Meanwhile, 20th Century Fox Television released a statement about Smollett's future on "Empire" after reports suggested he may be written off the hit series.
A rep for the production company told Fox News, “Jussie Smollett continues to be a consummate professional on set and as we have previously stated, he is not being written out of the show.”
"Empire" showrunner Brett Mahoney previously expressed support for Smollett.
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Smollett claimed that on Jan. 29 he was attacked by two masked men as he was walking home from a Subway restaurant. He said that the men shouted racist and anti-gay slurs at him, poured a chemical substance on him, threw a rope around his neck and shouted, "This is MAGA country!"
Two brothers – Ola and Abel Osundairo – were arrested and released without charges in relation to the incident and were set to have their testimony “locked in” before a grand jury, meaning it would be officially documented. But Smollett’s legal team presented information to prosecutors that delayed the brothers' testimony, the sources say.
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"The two brothers involved in this incident were at a Chicago courthouse meeting with detectives and prosecutors. They did not get seated before a grand jury," the Chicago Police Department said in a statement Tuesday.
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Chicago police have acknowledged to Fox News that presenting Smollett’s case to a grand jury or prosecutors is an option the department can pursue. They say they’re giving Smollett a “responsible” amount of time to respond to the department's request for a follow-up interview.
Fox News' Matt Finn contributed to this report.
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