INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — An Indian River County sheriff’s deputy with 25 years on the force was shot and killed Friday morning while helping serve an eviction notice, marking only the second line-of-duty death in the agency’s century-long history.
Sheriff Eric Flowers said Deputy Terri Sweeting-Mashkow, 47, died after Michael Halberstam, 37, opened fire on three deputies and a locksmith as they entered a home in the 1100 block of Governor’s Way in the Bermuda Club/Somerset Bay community of Vero Beach.
Another deputy, Tino Arizpe, was shot in the shoulder, and a locksmith is in critical condition. Halberstam is in critical condition and currently in surgery. Sgt. Gary Farless wasn’t injured.
According to Flowers, deputies knocked repeatedly and announced their presence before the locksmith opened the door around 10:30 a.m. As soon as the door swung open, Halberstam began shooting, striking Sweeting-Mashkow and another deputy almost immediately. The deputies returned fire.
Sweeting-Mashkow was pronounced dead at the scene. Flowers called her “an amazing deputy with a beautiful heart” and said notifying her family was the hardest moment of his law enforcement career.
“She gave 25 years to this community, and she lost her life doing something as routine as serving an eviction notice,” Flowers said during an emotional news conference Friday afternoon.
Halberstam, born in 1988, had no local criminal history with the sheriff’s office but faced prior charges in Virginia.
A review of Halberstam’s social media activity by the agency’s Real-Time Crime Center revealed erratic posts, including negative comments about the sheriff’s office and statements that led to his termination from his job.
The sheriff stressed that the call was a standard civil process with no advance warning of danger. Halberstam’s mother was outside the home during the eviction.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is leading the investigation into the shooting, which is standard in officer-involved incidents.
Flowers said crisis counselors and the entire agency have been mobilized to support deputies and staff.
“This is a tragic day for our agency and our county,” Flowers added.
