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Community mourns deputy killed while serving eviction notice
The Indian River County Sheriff’s Office is mourning Deputy Terri Sweeting-Mashkow, who was shot and killed Friday while serving an eviction notice, authorities said. Sweeting-Mashkow, a 25-year veteran of the department, is being remembered as a dedicated deputy, loving wife, and loyal friend.
INDIAN RIVER COUNTY, Fla. - A deputy has died and another was injured on Friday after a suspect opened fire as law enforcement officials were attempting to serve an eviction notice in Indian River County, according to the sheriff.
Deputies were at a home in Vero Beach to serve an eviction notice to Michael Halberstam, authorities said. While deputies were in the entryway, Halberstam grabbed a weapon and began "indiscriminately firing" at law enforcement, Sheriff Eric Flowers said in a news conference. Deputies fired back. Halberstam was also hit during the shooting.
Deputy Terri Mashkow, 47, was killed in a Nov. 21 shooting that occurred when deputies served an eviction notice at a Vero Beach home.
Deputy Terri Mashkow, 47, was killed in the shooting, Flowers said. Another deputy, who was shot in the shoulder, is recovering at a hospital.
A locksmith, who was also at the scene, was injured in the shooting. The locksmith is in critical condition.
Halberstam was transported to a hospital in critical condition where he later died on Saturday, according to deputies.
What we know about the suspect: Michael Halberstam
Michael Halberstam, 37, shot at Indian River deputies when the came to his mother's residence for an eviction notice on Nov. 21. He died on Nov. 22.
The suspect, Michael Halberstam, has two previous charges out of Virginia—a 2006 narcotics charge and a 2015 misdemeanor assault charge—according to the sheriff’s office.
Sheriff Flowers said that deputies were serving the eviction notice to Halberstam at the request of his mother. According to Flowers, deputies had previously been called to the residence multiple times.
"We’ve had seven calls to this residence, all this month, nothing before that," Flowers said. "Almost all of them from the mother, calling about him and her decision to ultimately evict him."
According to officials, Halberstam was fired from his job at UPS.
Investigators also discovered "strange posts" from Halberstam on social media, Flowers said. Halberstam reportedly made "terrible" comments about his former employer, and he had also posted "negative items" about the sheriff’s office on his Facebook page.
The Real Time Crime Center within the sheriff’s office has been working to find more information about the suspect, Flowers said.
What we don't know:
It's unclear why Halberstam's mother was trying to evict him.
Flowers said the sheriff's office doesn't have those details yet.
The Source: This article was written based on information sourced from the Indian River County Sheriff's Office.