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Indian River County, FL - A tragic series of events unfolded in Indian River County when a routine eviction escalated into a deadly shooting that claimed the lives of a sheriff’s deputy and a locksmith.
According to the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office, deputies accompanied a locksmith to a home in the Bermuda Club community along State Road A1A to carry out an eviction request made by the suspect’s mother.
As deputies entered the residence, the suspect, identified as 37-year-old Michael Halberstam, allegedly began firing a gun.
Deputy Terri Sweeting Mashkow, 47, was fatally shot inside the home.
Authorities later confirmed that 76-year-old locksmith David Long, who was critically injured during the incident, died from his injuries several days later.
A second deputy, Tino Arizpe, was struck in the shoulder and has since been released from the hospital to continue recovering at home.
Sheriff Eric Flowers stated that the suspect had not been on the department’s radar, although deputies had been called to the residence multiple times that month at the mother’s request.
Investigators said Halberstam had recently been fired from his job and had posted negative remarks on social media about his former workplace and the sheriff’s office.
He also previously faced a narcotics conviction in 2006 and a misdemeanor assault charge in 2015.
The sheriff’s office announced that Halberstam died from his injuries following the confrontation.
Deputy Sweeting Mashkow has been posthumously promoted to sergeant as the investigation continues into the circumstances surrounding the shooting.