Deputy Terri Sweeting-Mashkow, 47, was shot while serving a court-ordered eviction north of Vero Beach.
VERO BEACH, Fla. — A routine eviction erupted into gunfire Friday morning in a barrier-island neighborhood, killing Indian River County Sheriff’s Deputy Terri Sweeting-Mashkow and wounding a second deputy and a locksmith, authorities said. The suspected gunman, Michael Halberstam, 37, was shot by deputies and died Saturday; the locksmith died Sunday.
Investigators said the deputies were assisting a mother with a lawful eviction of her adult son when shots were fired inside a home in the Bermuda Club community along State Road A1A. Sweeting-Mashkow, a 25-year veteran, was mortally wounded. Deputy Florentino “Tino” Arizpe was hit in the shoulder and later released from the hospital. The locksmith, identified by family as David Long, 76, was initially in critical condition and died Sunday. Sheriff Eric Flowers called the loss “an absolute tragedy” for a small coastal county that has recorded only two line-of-duty deaths in 100 years. State agents are leading the shooting review as funeral plans are arranged.
Authorities said the confrontation began shortly after 9 a.m. Friday, Nov. 21, when three deputies and a locksmith arrived at 1137 Governors Way to serve an eviction order on Halberstam. As deputies and the locksmith entered, Halberstam retrieved a firearm and “began indiscriminately firing,” Sheriff Flowers said. Sweeting-Mashkow was struck during the initial exchange. Arizpe and a supervising sergeant returned fire, hitting the suspect. A law enforcement procession escorted Sweeting-Mashkow’s flag-draped body to the medical examiner’s office that afternoon. “Having to call her mother and her husband is the worst part of this job,” Flowers said. He later announced Sweeting-Mashkow’s posthumous promotion to sergeant.
Officials said Halberstam was taken into surgery and remained in critical condition until he was pronounced dead at 3:41 p.m. Saturday. Long underwent emergency operations and died at 2:41 p.m. Sunday, according to relatives and the sheriff’s office. Arizpe, a 25-year department veteran, was treated for a shoulder wound and discharged Sunday to continue recovery at home. Investigators noted seven prior calls for service to the residence this month, most initiated by Halberstam’s mother. Records show Halberstam had a 2006 narcotics case and a 2015 misdemeanor assault charge in Virginia. Flowers said Halberstam was recently fired from UPS and had posted negative comments about his former employer and the sheriff’s office on social media. Authorities said there was no legal restriction that barred him from owning a firearm.
The home sits inside Bermuda Club, a gated community along A1A near Wabasso Beach Park on Orchid Island, north of Vero Beach. Deputies said they did not anticipate violence when they arrived with the court paperwork and locksmith, describing the call as “standard” for civil process service. The county’s last line-of-duty death occurred decades after the agency was founded in 1925. Sweeting-Mashkow, 47, joined the sheriff’s office in the late 1990s and spent much of her career in patrol and community policing, colleagues said. The sheriff’s office posted photos of a miles-long procession Friday evening as residents lined causeways to salute her passing.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement opened an investigation, standard practice in deputy-involved shootings. Detectives are examining body-camera footage, 911 calls and ballistics to determine who fired and when inside the home. The sheriff’s office also launched an internal review of tactics used during the eviction service. Autopsies for Halberstam, Sweeting-Mashkow and Long are pending with the medical examiner. Prosecutors will receive FDLE’s findings before deciding whether any additional legal actions are warranted. Funeral arrangements for Sweeting-Mashkow will be announced this week; the department said she will be addressed as Sgt. Sweeting-Mashkow going forward.
Neighbors reported hearing a rapid burst of shots followed by sirens and helicopters over the barrier island. “We saw dozens of lights coming up A1A, and then everything went quiet except for the choppers,” said Tom M., who lives near the front gate and watched deputies escort the ambulance out. A courthouse employee who has worked past eviction details said the agency typically brings a locksmith to change locks and stands by in case of resistance. “It’s routine until it isn’t,” the employee said. Outside Lawnwood Hospital on Friday, deputies in dress uniforms hugged one another as news of Sweeting-Mashkow’s death spread. “Our team will feel this forever,” Flowers said. “She had a beautiful heart, and she will be missed.”
As of Sunday evening, Arizpe is home from the hospital, FDLE’s investigation is ongoing and the sheriff’s office is preparing a memorial plan for Sgt. Sweeting-Mashkow. The next public update is expected early this week once investigators finish processing the scene and schedule briefings.
Author note: Last updated November 23, 2025.