Fla. Deputy Killed, Another Injured while Serving Eviction Notice

A veteran Florida deputy attempting to serve an eviction notice was killed Friday in a shooting that also injured three others, including another deputy. 

Indian River County Sheriff's Deputy Terri Sweeting-Mashkow, along with two other deputies and a locksmith, were serving the notice to a 37-year-old man—identified as Michael Halberstam— after his mother had requested the eviction from her home, WPTV-TV reports. During the call, Halberstam allegedly grabbed a firearm and started “indiscriminately firing” at them, Sheriff Eric Flowers said at a news conference.

Sweeting-Mashkow was fatally struck, and another deputy, Florentino Arizpe, was wounded in the shoulder. The third deputy was uninjured.

Halberstam was shot when at least two deputies returned fire. He was taken to the hospital in critical condition. 

The locksmith also was critically wounded in the exchange and underwent surgery.

"Deputy Mashkow dedicated 25 years of honorable service to this agency and to the people of Indian River County," the sheriff's office stated in a social media post. "Her loss is felt deeply by every member of our agency, as well as by the community she served with pride."

Flowers said Sweeting-Mashkow joined the agency as a dispatcher, eventually becoming patrol officer, according to NBC News. She recently began working in the legal process civil unit.

Sweeting-Mashkow's death is only second line of duty death for the sheriff's office in 100 years, said Flowers.