INDIAN RIVER COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — A Florida sheriff announced that a deputy was killed and two others were hurt in a shooting while serving an eviction notice in Vero Beach on Friday morning.
Indian River County Sheriff Eric Flowers said a civil unit of three deputies and a locksmith went to the Bermuda Club along A1A to serve an eviction notice.
A resident in the home was evicting her son, who was identified as Michael Halberstam.
“While they were in the entry way, having just made entry into the home, Mr. Halberstam retrieved a weapon and he began indiscriminately firing at our deputies on the scene, ” Flowers said. “We had three deputies there.”
Deputy Terri Sweeting-Mashkow was killed in the line of duty, the sheriff said. Mashkow had spent more than 25 years with the sheriff’s office.
“Her loss is felt deeply by every member of our agency, as well as by the community she served with pride,” the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office said.
Another deputy was shot in the shoulder and is recovering. The locksmith was also hurt in the shooting and underwent surgery. Flowers said the locksmith was in critical condition.
A sergeant at the scene was not hurt.
Halberstam is also in surgery and in critical condition.
“Our team will feel this forever,” Flowers said. “She gave her life for this community.”
Attorney General James Uthmeier also spoke about the shooting during his news conference on Friday morning.
“I did just get word that we had an officer-involved shooting in Indian River County,” Uthmeier said.
The attorney general then took a few moments of silence before he began a news conference.
“As we grieve, we remain dedicated in our commitment to honor Deputy Mashkow’s legacy by continuing the work she believed in so strongly – serving with integrity, courage, and compassion,” the sheriff’s office said. “Deputy Mashkow, we thank you for your service. You will never be forgotten.”