Suspect who Fatally Shot Fla. Deputy in Eviction Shootout Dies

Indian River County Sheriff's Deputy Terri Sweeting-Mashkow, who was killed in an exchange of gunfire while serving an eviction notice, was posthumously promoted to sergeant by the agency.

Source Officer.com News

Joe Vince

Nov. 24, 2025

2 min read

What to know

• A 37-year-old man accused of killing an Indian River County sheriff's deputy and wounding two others during an eviction notice shootout died Saturday from injuries he suffered in the clash.

• Deputies returned fire after the man allegedly began shooting “indiscriminately,” fatally striking Deputy Terri Sweeting-Mashkow and injuring another deputy and a locksmith.

• Sweeting-Mashkow, a 25-year veteran with the agency, was posthumously promoted to sergeant as the sheriff’s office and community mourn her death.

Indian River County, FL, Sheriff's Deputy Terri Sweeting-Mashkow was posthumously promoted to sergeant after she was shot and killed while serving an eviction notice Friday.

A 37-year-old man accused of killing a Florida deputy and wounding two others in an eviction notice clash died Saturday from the injuries he suffered in the exchange of gunfire.

According to authorities, Michael Halberstam opened fire Friday at three Indian River County sheriff's deputies and a locksmith who were serving him an eviction notice. Deputy Terri Sweeting-Mashkow was fatally shot, and another deputy and the locksmith were wounded in the confrontation. A third deputy was uninjured.

Halberstam was struck multiple times when the deputies returned fire. He was taken to the hospital in critical condition, but he died from his injuries Saturday afternoon, NBC News reports.

The wounded deputy was struck in the shoulder and recovering. The locksmith underwent surgery and is in critical condition.

The deputies were serving the notice after Halberstam's mother requested that her son be evicted from her home. During the call, Halberstam allegedly grabbed a firearm and started “indiscriminately firing” at them, Sheriff Eric Flowers said at a news conference.

Sweeting-Mashkow, who recently began working in the legal process civil unit, had served with the agency for 25 years, starting as a dispatcher before becoming a patrol officer. She was posthumously promoted to sergeant over the weekend.

"Her loss is felt deeply by every member of our agency, as well as by the community she served with pride," the sheriff's office stated in a social media post.

“I can tell you that our team will feel this forever,” Flowers said.

About the Author

Joe Vince

Joining Endeavor Business Media in 2018, Joe has worked on the company's city services publications. He began working at OFFICER.com as the assistant editor. Before starting at Endeavor, Joe had worked for a variety of print and online news outlets, including the Indianapolis Star, the South Bend Tribune, Reddit and Patch.com.