Vero Beach, Florida
AP
—
A Florida sheriff’s deputy was killed whereas making an attempt to serve an eviction discover Friday in a beachside residence on the state’s Atlantic coast, a county sheriff mentioned.
The accused shooter, one other deputy and a locksmith working for regulation enforcement had been all wounded, Indian River County Sheriff Eric Flowers mentioned at a news conference. The locksmith is in surgical procedure and listed in important situation, as is the shooter, Flowers mentioned. The different deputy was hit within the shoulder and is recovering, he added.
The 47-year-old deputy who died, Terri Mashkow, was a 25-year-veteran of the sheriff’s workplace, Flowers mentioned. He grew emotional whereas talking about Mashkow, describing her as an “amazing deputy” who he labored alongside his total profession.
“I can tell you that our team will feel this forever,” Flowers mentioned.
The officers had gone to the home within the Bermuda Club neighborhood close to Vero Beach, the place a resident of the house was evicting her son, Flowers mentioned. While officers had been within the entryway, the son grabbed a firearm and started “indiscriminately firing” on the deputies, the sheriff mentioned.
Authorities recognized the alleged shooter as Michael Halberstam, who investigators discovered had been terminated from his job at UPS and had a earlier narcotics cost and a misdemeanor assault cost. Flowers mentioned the suspect had been posting “some negative items” concerning the Indian River Sheriff’s Office on a social media account.
Over the previous month, the sheriff’s workplace had acquired seven calls from the house, “almost all” of which had been from the mom calling about her son, Flowers mentioned. Still, deputies weren’t anticipating any hassle once they arrived for the eviction Friday since “this was a standard call for service,” the sheriff mentioned.
It was not instantly recognized whether or not Mashkow fired her weapon. “Our deputies did fire at him and he has been struck multiple times,” Flowers mentioned.
Investigators are nonetheless in search of extra data on the suspect, Flowers mentioned, however as of Friday there was nothing in his report to preclude him from legally having a firearm.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier acknowledged the capturing throughout an earlier information convention Friday, saying, “Just wanted to take a couple moments of silence for the officers that were in the line of duty.”
Vero Beach is greater than 80 miles (130 kilometers) north of West Palm Beach.