Jussie Smollett denies staging attack as police say case has "shifted"

People

More reports emerged Saturday night that police are investigating whether the Empire star staged his own hate attack, with CNN reporting that Smollett have may have paid two Nigerian brothers to beat him up. Chicago Piluce wouldn't confirm the reports, only saying: “We can confirm that the information received from the individuals questioned by police earlier in the Empire case has in fact shifted the trajectory of the investigation," adding that they hope to interview Smollett again. Meanwhile, TMZ reports a grand jury will hear the Smollett case next week. Smollett responded to the new reports via his attorneys, who said: “One of these purported suspects was Jussie’s personal trainer who he hired to ready him physically for a music video. 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. Jussie and his attorneys anticipate being further updated by the Chicago Police Department on the status of the investigation and will continue to cooperate,” Smollett’s attorneys added. “At the present time, Jussie and his attorneys have no inclination to respond to ‘unnamed’ sources inside of the investigation, but will continue discussions through official channels.” Fox has yet to respond to the new reports. ALSO: Director Ava DuVernay tweets: “Despite the inconsistencies, I can’t blindly believe Chicago PD."