VERO BEACH, Florida — A 25-year law enforcement veteran is dead. So is a 76-year-old locksmith who showed up to do his job. And now, the suspect in the deputy’s death has died from gunshot wounds sustained when he opened fire during a routine eviction.
Michael Halberstam, 37, died Saturday afternoon at HCA Florida Lawnwood Hospital, two days after the November 21 shooting at his mother’s home in Indian River County. Deputies had returned fire after Halberstam began shooting when they entered the residence to serve eviction papers.
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What Happened During the Eviction
Sergeant Terri Sweeting-Mashkow, 47, arrived at 1100 Governor’s Way in the Bermuda Club community around 10:30 AM on November 21. She was there with Deputy Florentino Arizpe, Sergeant Gary Farless, and locksmith David Long to carry out a court-ordered eviction.
Halberstam’s mother had requested the eviction. She’d filed the paperwork on November 5 and deputies had already posted notices on November 10 and November 20.
When the team entered the home, Halberstam grabbed a weapon and started firing.
Sweeting-Mashkow was killed inside the house. Long, the locksmith hired by Halberstam’s mother, suffered fatal injuries and died November 24. Arizpe took a bullet to the shoulder but survived. Farless wasn’t hit.
Deputies returned fire, striking Halberstam multiple times. He was rushed to the hospital in critical condition.
The Suspect’s Death Ends Violent Standoff
Halberstam died at 3:41 PM on November 23, roughly 51 hours after the shooting. His death came as Indian River County mourned Sweeting-Mashkow, who had spent 25 years with the sheriff’s office after starting as a dispatcher in 2000.
“I’ve worked my entire career with Terri, as have pretty much everybody else at the agency,” Sheriff Eric Flowers said. “Twenty-five years is a long time.”
The deputy left behind her husband, 14-year-old daughter, and stepson. She was posthumously promoted to sergeant.
Seven 911 Calls in Three Weeks
The shooting wasn’t the first time deputies had been to the Governor’s Way address. Records show seven calls in November alone, all from Halberstam’s mother.
In a November 5 recording, she told a 911 dispatcher that her son “hears things” and has “mental issues.” When asked about weapons, she replied: “I don’t know what he has access to. He locks his bedroom door.”
“I feel scared,” she said in another call, asking for her son to be removed from the home.
By November 10, she’d moved out. Sweeting-Mashkow posted the first eviction notice that day. She returned on November 20 to post a second notice. The next morning, she came back to complete the eviction.
Background on Michael Halberstam
Halberstam had two prior arrests in Virginia, both with charges that were later dropped:
• 2006: Narcotics arrest in Prince William County
• 2015: Misdemeanor assault in Fauquier County
Sheriff Flowers said Halberstam was “not on our radar,” meaning the agency had never arrested him or placed him under a mental health hold.
His social media showed anger toward the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office and UPS, where he’d worked until 2022. A company spokesperson confirmed he hadn’t been employed there in over three years.
Second Line of Duty Death in 100 Years
Sweeting-Mashkow’s funeral drew more than 3,000 people to Vero Beach Regional Airport on December 2. Governor Ron DeSantis ordered flags at half-staff across Indian River County.
Her death marked only the second time a deputy from the agency died in the line of duty in its century-long history.
FBI Director Kash Patel and Senator Rick Scott both reached out to the sheriff’s office following the shooting. All 60 Florida sheriffs made contact to offer support.
Investigation Continues
Sheriff Flowers said investigators are reviewing “thousands of pieces of evidence” from the scene. The shooting remains under active investigation as the agency works to understand what happened in the moments before Halberstam opened fire.
The home where the shooting occurred belonged to Halberstam’s late father. His mother, who had called deputies for help seven times in three weeks, now faces a reality where her eviction request ended with three people dead, including the suspect in a deputy’s death who died from the confrontation he started.
