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Michael Halberstam, 37, shot two Indian River County deputies
and a locksmith on Friday when they were serving an eviction
notice at a home near Vero Beach where Halberstam's mother was
trying to evict him, officials said. Officers returned fire,
striking Halberstam multiple times and he succumbed to his
injuries Saturday afternoon, the county's sheriff's department
said in a post online.
One of the deputies, Terri Sweeting-Mashkow, was killed and
another is recovering from a shoulder injury. The locksmith was
in critical condition after the shooting and underwent surgery,
Alexander Hagan, a spokesman for HCA Florida Lawnwood Hospital,
said Friday. The locksmith wasn't identified.
Over the past month, the sheriff’s office had received seven
calls from the home, “almost all” of which were from the mother
calling about her son, Indian River County Sheriff Eric Flowers
said Friday at a news conference. Still, he said, deputies
weren’t expecting any trouble when they arrived to carry out the
eviction.
“This was a standard call for service,” the sheriff said, adding
there was nothing in Halberstam's record that would have
precluded him from having a weapon.
Sweeting-Mashkow was a 25-year-veteran of the sheriff’s office,
Flowers said, growing emotional as he praised the deputy and
described working alongside him his entire career.
“I can tell you that our team will feel this forever,” Flowers
said.
Sweeting-Mashkow was posthumously promoted to sergeant in the
sheriff's office on Saturday.
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