|
 Chicago police said detectives have been unable to obtain cell
phone records to "independently verify" a key part of Smollett's
story - that he was talking with his manager by phone at the
time he was accosted.
Smollett, an African-American who is openly gay in real life,
has not commented publicly, but his publicist issued a statement
attributed to his family that read:
"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."
It added that Smollett had "told the police everything" and that
"his story has never changed."
But NBC News, citing police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi,
reported Smollett himself had refused to turn over his cell
phone or phone records to investigators to confirm the call to
his manager.
"Cell phone records were not provided to investigators when
asked," Guglielmi confirmed in an email to Reuters while
declining to clarify who failed to furnish them.
Guglielmi also said police had "no reason to doubt" the accounts
of both Smollett and his manager that they were on the phone
together at the time of the alleged attack in the early hours of
Tuesday.
Late on Wednesday, investigators released a pair of images from
surveillance video showing two "potential persons of interest"
sought for questioning in what police said they are treating as
a "possible hate crime."
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The two figures, seen only in silhouette, are pictured walking
together down a dimly lit sidewalk between a snow-covered median
strip and the side of a building. Police said footage from
additional cameras was being reviewed.
Police accounts say Smollett reported two men approached him on the
street shouting racial and homophobic slurs, then struck him in the
face, doused him with an "unknown chemical substance" and wrapped a
rope around his neck before fleeing.
Smollett took himself to a hospital but was not seriously hurt,
police said.
The news spread quickly on social media, with many expressing
outrage while others suggested the story was a hoax. In releasing
the surveillance camera images on Twitter, police said detectives
"are taking this development seriously."
President Donald Trump gave further credence to the incident in
remarks to reporters, saying the attack on Smollett was "horrible"
and "doesn't get worse," Variety reported.
"Empire" debuted on the Fox network in 2015 and has earned multiple
Emmy nominations. Smollett plays the character Jamal Lyon, a member
of the family that is the focus of the show.
(Reporting by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles; Editing by Clarence
Fernandez)
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