{"id":56542,"date":"2025-11-22T09:47:09","date_gmt":"2025-11-22T09:47:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/56542\/"},"modified":"2025-11-22T09:47:09","modified_gmt":"2025-11-22T09:47:09","slug":"florida-deputy-killed-two-wounded-as-moms-eviction-of-son-explodes-in-gunfire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/56542\/","title":{"rendered":"Florida deputy killed, two wounded as mom\u2019s eviction of son explodes in gunfire"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Florida sheriff\u2019s deputy was shot and killed Friday morning, another deputy was wounded and a locksmith was left in critical condition while helping a mother evict her son from a gated home<\/a> in a coastal community north of West Palm Beach, authorities said.<\/p>\n

Deputy Terri Sweeting-Mashkow, a 25-year veteran of the Indian River County Sheriff\u2019s Office<\/a>, was gunned down inside a residence<\/a> at the Bermuda Club on Orchid Island near Vero Beach.<\/p>\n

She was one of three deputies who arrived at the home with a locksmith just before 9 a.m. to remove 37-year-old Michael Halberstam under a court order initiated by his mother, who waited outside<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Investigators said the team stepped into the entryway when Halberstam<\/a> allegedly unleashed gunfire without warning, fatally hitting Sweeting-Mashkow.<\/p>\n

Deputy Terri Sweeting-Mashkow, a 25-year veteran of the Indian River County Sheriff\u2019s Office, was gunned down inside a residence at the Bermuda Club on Orchid Island near Vero Beach. Indian River County Sheriff’s Office<\/p>\n

Deputy Florentino \u201cTino\u201d Arizpe was hit in the shoulder and escaped<\/a> into the garage. The locksmith was critically wounded.<\/p>\n

Sgt. Gary Carlos returned fire and hit Halberstam multiple times. The gunman was rushed to a Fort Pierce hospital in critical condition.<\/p>\n

Sweeting-Mashkow, 47, had served 25 years and 16 days with the sheriff\u2019s office.<\/p>\n

Sheriff Eric Flowers said she was killed on what was considered a routine civil-service call.<\/p>\n

She was one of three deputies who arrived at the home with a locksmith just before 9 a.m. to remove 37-year-old Michael Halberstam under a court order initiated by his mother, who waited outside. Indian River County Sheriff’s Office<\/p>\n

He called her \u201can amazing deputy\u201d who \u201chad a beautiful heart, and she will be missed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m absolutely heartbroken. I\u2019ve worked my entire career with Terri,\u201d the sheriff said, adding that \u201cour team will feel this forever.\u201d<\/p>\n

Authorities said deputies had responded to the home seven times in November, nearly all coming as a result of calls from Halberstam\u2019s mother, who repeatedly voiced concerns about his behavior.<\/p>\n

Records show Halberstam previously faced a 2006 narcotics charge and a 2015 misdemeanor assault case in Virginia, though nothing legally barred him from possessing a firearm.<\/p>\n

Investigators also uncovered troubling posts on his Facebook page, including negative comments about the sheriff\u2019s office.<\/p>\n

As the investigation ramped up on Orchid Island \u2014 a barrier island community known for its wealthy neighborhoods and beach access \u2014 Sweeting-Mashkow\u2019s relatives struggled to absorb the loss.<\/p>\n

Her mother-in-law, Patricia Mashkow, who was on a cruise<\/a>, said: \u201cWe love Terri very much. She\u2019s like a daughter to us. I can\u2019t say enough about her. She died a hero today. This is just unbelievable. This is just a nightmare.\u201d<\/p>\n

Indian River County Sheriff Eric Flowers said she was killed on what was considered a routine civil-service call. AP<\/p>\n

She added: \u201cShe was the most caring, the most giving person. I couldn\u2019t ask for anything more from a daughter-in-law. She was just everything. I can\u2019t even comprehend this.\u201d<\/p>\n

A solemn procession began around 5 p.m. Deputies escorted a fire-rescue ambulance carrying her flag-draped coffin from the scene.<\/p>\n

Law enforcement lined the road as the motorcade traveled to the medical examiner\u2019s office in Fort Pierce.<\/p>\n

A massive American flag, suspended from an Interstate 95 overpass<\/a>, waved overhead as the procession passed beneath.<\/p>\n

That evening, the sheriff\u2019s office posted a tribute which read: \u201cIt is with profound sadness and heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Deputy Terri Sweeting-Mashkow, who was killed in the line of duty on November 21st, 2025 while faithfully serving our community.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHer loss is felt deeply by every member of our agency, as well as by the community she served with pride.\u201d<\/p>\n

The agency thanked emergency workers and said it would honor her memory by \u201cserving with integrity, courage, and compassion.\u201d<\/p>\n

State leaders issued swift statements. Florida First Lady Casey DeSantis said in a statement: \u201cGovernor Ron DeSantis and I are praying for the officers and their families in Indian River County.\u201d<\/p>\n

Authorities said deputies had responded to the home seven times in November, nearly all coming as a result of calls from Michael Halberstam\u2019s mother.<\/p>\n

Attorney General James Uthmeier wrote: \u201cWe are praying for the brave officers who put their lives on the line to protect Florida and our families.\u201d<\/p>\n

Halberstam\u2019s family, through a Vero Beach law firm<\/a>, said they were \u201cheartbroken by the tragic events\u201d and offered their \u201cdeepest condolences\u201d and \u201csincere wishes\u201d to all those affected.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can\u2019t adequately express our profound sorrow for the pain and devastation this incident has caused,\u201d they said, adding that \u201cprivacy would be appreciated during this time of healing and grieving.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A Florida sheriff\u2019s deputy was shot and killed Friday morning, another deputy was wounded and a locksmith was…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":56543,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[28,30,29,1598,22013,6889,4278],"class_list":["post-56542","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-florida","tag-florida","tag-florida-headlines","tag-florida-news","tag-law-enforcement","tag-police-shootings","tag-shootings","tag-us-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56542","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=56542"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56542\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/56543"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=56542"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=56542"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=56542"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}