Jussie Smollett.Leon Bennett/Getty
From the start, police conceded they faced challenges verifying Smollett’s report.
As doubts about the Chicago attack began to swirl on social media, Smollett’s family defended him with a statement that insisted “has told the police everything” and “his story has never changed.” Smollett said in his own statement on Feb. 1 that he had been “100 percent factual and consistent on every level.”
On Wednesday, shortly before Guglielmi’s tweet about the actor being considered a suspect, Smollett’s brothers Jocqui and Jake shared astatementthat read: “Remember to THINK, check your own prejudice, and truly inform yourself before jumping to conclusions and spreading untruths, saying things you’ll regret, and making cruel harmful jokes #justiceforjussie.”
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Police previously said the actor had shared only some of the phone records they’d requested, which Smollett said he’d redacted to protect the privacy of his personal contacts.
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Police confirmed they’d pursued a tipalleging that Smollett was spotted in the elevator of his apartment building on the night of the attack with the two men, but concluded it was “unfounded,” according to Guglielmi.
A spokesman in Chicago for the FBI — which investigates threats delivered through the U.S. Postal Service — also declined PEOPLE’s request on Wednesday to address reports that Smollett might have had a role a part in creating or sending the threatening letter.
Police said that have continued to reach out to the actor for clarification.
“While we are not in a position to confirm, deny or comment on the validity of what’s been unofficially released, there are some developments in this investigation and detectives have some follow-ups to complete which include speaking to the individual who reported the incident,” Guglielmi tweeted on Sunday.
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A day earlier, Smollett defended himself against the claims attributed to the brothers while acknowledging that he knew the two men. An attorney for the men, Gloria Schmidt, previously toldCBS Chicagothat the men know Smollett from working onEmpireand occasionally go to the same gym as the actor. She did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
“One of these purported suspects was Jussie’s personal trainer who he hired to ready him physically for a music video,” the statement continued. “It is impossible to believe that this person could have played a role in the crime against Jussie or would falsely claim Jussie’s complicity.”
As questions about Smollett’s claims continued to reverberate Wednesday, 20th Century Fox Television and Fox Entertainment issued a statement in support of the actor.
“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,” it said.
Smollett’s reps have not returned previous inquiries from PEOPLE. A person answering the phone at the offices of attorney Mark Geragos would not confirm Geragos is representing Smollett.
Fox had no comment regarding Smollett being considered a suspect. “We are currently shooting season 5. We have two episodes remaining to shoot,” Fox said in a statement to PEOPLE about the current filming schedule.
source: people.com
