VERO BEACH, Fla. — A gunman who killed a Florida deputy last week died on Saturday from injuries received in the confrontation, authorities say.
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.
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.
Update: Per AP, the locksmith who was critcally injured in the shooting has died. The civilian locksmith, 76-year-old David Long, was known for his “dedicated service and kind demeanor,” Sheriff Eric Flowers said in a social media post Sunday.
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