A Florida deputy died and two others were injured while attempting to serve an eviction notice at a home.
Terri Mashkow, 47, was slain while responding to a “standard call of service” for an eviction at Bermuda Club, a gated neighborhood in Vero Beach, Fla., on Friday, Nov. 21, according to Indian River County Sheriff Eric Flowers during a news conference.
He said Mashkow arrived at the home with two other deputies and a locksmith after receiving a call from a resident who was evicting her son, Michael Halberstam.
“While they were in the entryway, having just made entry into the home, Mr. Halberstam retrieved a weapon and began indiscriminately firing on our deputies on scene,” Flowers said reporters at the news conference.
“[Deputy] Terri Mashkow… made the ultimate sacrifice today and was killed in the line of duty inside of that residence,” according to him.
Flowers stated that another deputy was “shot in the shoulder,” while the third remained unhurt but fired his weapon. The locksmith, who arrived at the apartment with the deputies, was also hurt and was taken to the hospital in critical condition. Flowers said the locksmith was receiving surgery.
The sheriff stated that Halberstam, who had a narcotics charge in 2006 and a misdemeanor record in Virginia in 2015, was also hurt in the event and was taken to the hospital in severe condition.
Officers discovered “strange posts on social media” from Halberstam before to the event, including “negative items” against the sheriff’s office, according to Flowers. He also mentioned that they had received “six calls” from his mother in the last month.
Flowers said Mashkow, who worked for the IRCO for 25 years, “gave her life to this community,” and that she would be remembered as someone who “had a beautiful heart.”
“She will be missed,” an emotional Flowers stated.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis addressed the event in a separate press conference, telling ABC press, “There is a lot going on. Just know that the Florida Department of Law Enforcement is involved, working with the sheriff and the local community. We wish for the finest results.”
According to an FBI post on X, Mashkow is survived by her spouse and daughter.
“The FBI offers its prayers and sympathies to Deputy Sheriff Mashkow’s family, friends, and coworkers who have been left behind. “They will have our full support,” the post stated.
