Florida Police Officer Dead, 2 Others Injured After Attempt to Evict Son from a Mother’s Home at Her Request

A Florida sheriff’s deputy was killed and two other deputies were injured Friday when a routine eviction attempt turned violent at a home in a gated community, authorities said.

Indian River County Sheriff Eric Flowers said at a press conference that Deputy Terri Mashkow, 47, died while responding to what he described as a “standard call of service” for an eviction in the Bermuda Club neighborhood of Vero Beach, Fla., on Nov. 21.

Flowers said Mashkow arrived at the residence with two other deputies and a locksmith after the homeowner requested help evicting her son, identified as Michael Halberstam.

According to the sheriff, the group had just entered the home when Halberstam retrieved a firearm and began firing at the deputies.

“While they were in the entryway, having just made entry into the home, Mr. Halberstam retrieved a weapon and he began indiscriminately firing on our deputies on scene,” Flowers said.

Mashkow was fatally shot inside the residence, Flowers confirmed, calling her death the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty.

One deputy was shot in the shoulder, Flowers said, while the third deputy was not wounded but returned fire. The locksmith accompanying them was also shot and taken to the hospital in critical condition, where he was undergoing surgery.

Flowers said Halberstam was also injured and hospitalized in critical condition. He noted that Halberstam had a prior narcotics charge from 2006 and a misdemeanor charge in Virginia in 2015.

Investigators also found “strange posts on social media” from Halberstam before the incident, including negative comments about the sheriff’s office, Flowers said. He added that deputies had received six calls involving Halberstam and his mother within the past month.

Mashkow served with the sheriff’s office for 25 years. Flowers said she “gave her life to this community” and would be remembered as someone with “a beautiful heart.”

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis addressed the shooting at a separate news conference, saying, per ABC News, that state law enforcement officials were working with local authorities and hoping for the best possible outcome for those injured.

The FBI said in a post on X that Mashkow is survived by her husband and daughter, adding condolences and support for her family and colleagues.