Chicago PD Superintendent: 'I Just Wish the Families of Gun Violence In This City Got This Much Attention'

Brittany M. Hughes | February 21, 2019
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Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson blasted disgraced actor Jussie Smollett during a press conference Thursday, slamming both the "Empire" star for reportedly staging a fake hate crime and the national news media, celebrities and politics who devoted so much time and energy into promoting the story while Chicago shooting victims went unnoticed.

"Before I get started on why we’re here, you know, as I look out into the crowd, I just wish that the families of gun violence in this city got this much attention, because that's who really deserves the amount of attention that we're giving to this particular incident," Johnson stated during the heavily attended press briefing.

"Celebrities, news commentators and even presidential candidates weighed in on something that was choreographed by an actor," he continued.
 

During the press conference, Johnson explained that Chicago police now know Smollett paid two Nigerian brothers $3,500 to fake the entire attack, reportedly because he was unhappy with his $500,000-a-year salary on the Fox show “Empire.”

Since Smollett first told police about that now-debunked “attack” on January 29, at least 67 people have been shot in Chicago, including a one-year-old boy who remains on life support after being shot in the head when a gang member targeted his mother and missed. 

Eight of those shooting victims have died. 

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