Just a few days ago, a judge in Illinois appointed a special prosecutor to re-investigate the Jussie Smollett case—in which the Empire actor claimed he was the victim of a racist and homophobic attack that Chicago police now say was staged. Now, as part of an ongoing project to release more and more files related to the case to the public, the Chicago Police Department has released a video of Smollett immediately after the alleged attack, taken from police body-cam footage.
This comes from Variety, and the footage features Smollett’s manager leading officers to Smollett’s apartment, where he is waiting with ropes tied around his neck (which he says were put there by his attackers). He tells the officers that he “wanted you all to see it” before removing the ropes, and after discussing the alleged attack briefly, Smollett realizes he’s being filmed and asks the officers to turn off their cameras.
The city of Chicago is currently trying to sue Smollett for the $130,000 of overtime pay that came from the initial investigation of the alleged attack, and the new investigation ordered by the judge opens the door for new charges to potentially be filed against Smollett. Variety has a clip of the body-cam footage over at its site.