Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety Homicide Investigation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Family accuses press narrative of "intruder" in death of 23-year-old, urges Steger police to pursue homicide probe
Summary
Family members and a human-rights activist told the Steger Board of Trustees the Sept. 17 death of Mark Anthony Plambeck II was a homicide, not an intruder incident, and asked the police to reclassify the case and update the department's press release; the deputy police chief said the Major Crimes Task Force is investigating and search warrants are pending.
Family members of 23-year-old Mark Anthony Plambeck II told the Village of Steger Board of Trustees on Oct. 6 that the shooting death of the young man on Sept. 17 should be treated as a homicide rather than an intrusion-related death described in the department's press release. Rabbi Michael Ben Yosef led pleas from the family and asked officials to "expedite with a sense of urgency as if this was your loved one."
Rabbi Michael Ben Yosef provided photos to the police and told the board that characterizing the case as an "intruder" was a "false narative" that must be corrected so the community understands what the family says happened. "That is a false narative Mr. Mayor and it needs to be corrected," he said. Family members, including the victim's father, Mark Plambeck, and his mother, Shameka Taylor, asked the police to investigate alleged prior threats and to perform full background checks on the person the family identified as the suspect.
Deputy Police Chief Pete Fajman told the family he sympathized and that the department and the South Suburban Major Crimes Task Force are actively investigating. "I assure you, the case is ongoing," he said, adding that investigators have filed numerous search warrants and cannot share details that might jeopardize the probe. Fajman offered to meet with family members and Rabbi Ben Yosef after the meeting and gave his contact information for updates.
The exchange prompted a brief recess; the mayor later reconvened the board. The family asked the Village to revisit its public statement on the incident and to pursue a fuller review of evidence and background material, including alleged prior threats by the person the family identified. The deputy chief said investigators had "looked into" the information raised at the meeting and would follow up where possible while protecting the integrity of the criminal investigation.
The board did not direct a specific new administrative action at the meeting beyond the offer by the deputy chief to meet with the family; the investigation remains active and the department said it will provide updates to the family when it can do so without compromising warrants or prosecutorial steps.
