A deputy from the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office lost her life while delivering an eviction notice at a coastal home on Friday, as confirmed by Sheriff Eric Flowers.
VERO BEACH, Fla. (AP) — On Florida’s Atlantic shoreline, a tragic incident unfolded as a sheriff’s deputy was fatally shot while attempting to serve an eviction notice. The sheriff of the county reported the grim news.
In addition to the fallen deputy, the alleged shooter, another deputy, and a locksmith assisting law enforcement were injured in the altercation, revealed Sheriff Eric Flowers during a press briefing. The second deputy sustained a shoulder injury and is on the mend, according to the sheriff.
The locksmith, whose identity was not disclosed, and the suspect were both in critical condition following surgery late Friday night, said Alexander Hagan, spokesperson for HCA Florida Lawnwood Hospital.
The deceased deputy, 47-year-old Terri Mashkow, had dedicated 25 years to the sheriff’s department, noted Flowers. Overcome with emotion, he paid tribute to Mashkow, calling her an “extraordinary deputy” and recounting their years of service together.
“The loss will be deeply felt by our team for a long time,” Flowers expressed with a heavy heart.
The officers had gone to the house in the Bermuda Club neighborhood near Vero Beach, where a resident of the home was evicting her son, Flowers said. While officers were in the entryway, the son grabbed a firearm and began “indiscriminately firing” at the deputies, the sheriff said.
Authorities identified the alleged shooter as Michael Halberstam, who investigators found had been terminated from his job at UPS and had a previous narcotics charge and a misdemeanor assault charge. Flowers said the suspect had been posting “some negative items” about the Indian River Sheriff’s Office on a social media account.
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, Flowers said. Still, deputies weren’t expecting any trouble when they arrived for the eviction Friday since “this was a standard call for service,” the sheriff said.
It was not immediately known whether Mashkow fired her weapon. “Our deputies did fire at him and he has been struck multiple times,” Flowers said.
Investigators were still looking for more information about the suspect, Flowers said, but as of Friday there was nothing in his record to preclude him from legally having a firearm.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier acknowledged the shooting during an earlier news conference Friday, saying, “Just wanted to take a couple moments of silence for the officers that were in the line of duty.”
Vero Beach is more than 80 miles (130 kilometers) north of West Palm Beach.
Copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
