Jussie Smollett is hitting back after being accused of not cooperating with Chicago police in regards to his racist and homophobic attack in Jan. 2019. In a new statement on Tuesday (Feb. 12), Smollett addressed reports concerning the redacted files from his phone that he turned over to police.
Chicago police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said Monday (Feb. 11) that the phone records turned over was a heavily redacted document. He said the records weren’t sufficient for an investigation, but Smollett’s reps claimed the star had good reason to redact certain information.
“Jussie is the victim here, which has been stated by the Superintendent of Police,” the statement said. “Jussie has voluntarily provided his phone records from within an hour of the attack and given multiple statements to police.”
According to the statement, the phone records were heavily censored in order to protect his privacy. “Any redacted information was intended to protect the privacy of personal contacts or high-profile individuals not relevant to the attack,” his statement said.
As previously reported, Smollett, who is black and openly gay, was reportedly attacked while walking in Downtown Chicago. He told police that his attackers poured a chemical substance on him before shouting racial and homophobic slurs. He also said that they attempted to tie a noose around his neck. They allegedly yelled “This is MAGA country” before running off.
Police have not made any arrests in the case. Video was released of two suspects walking around the vicinity of the attack. Smollett and his family maintain his story and say they are working with police to close the case.