According to local officials in the United States, a police officer in Florida tragically died in the line of duty on Friday morning, November 21st, while assisting a mother in evicting her son from their home.
In the afternoon of Friday, the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office in Vero Beach posted an obituary on their social media, stating, “With immense sorrow, we announce the on-duty death of Deputy Terri Sweeting-Mashkow on November 21, 2025, as she was faithfully serving our community.”
The obituary continued, “Her passing has brought profound grief to every member of our organization, and the community she proudly served during her lifetime is equally devastated.”
Sheriff Eric Flowers expressed during a press conference that Sweeting-Mashkow, aged 47, had served at the police department for “25 years and 16 days”.
On the day of the incident, Sweeting-Mashkow went to a residence in a gated community called the Bermuda Club in Vero Beach to enforce an eviction notice and help a mother evict her son, named Michael Halberstam.
It was reported that when Sweeting-Mashkow along with other officers and a locksmith arrived at the entrance of the house, Halberstam grabbed a gun and began “shooting indiscriminately at the officers on the scene”.
Sheriff Flowers expressed his sadness by saying, “It’s truly unfortunate! Just six days away from Thanksgiving.”
Flowers mentioned that another officer was shot in the shoulder and is currently recovering; the locksmith sustained severe injuries and is undergoing surgery. The suspect was also injured severely after officers returned fire.
Flowers pointed out that Sweeting-Mashkow’s death marked the second on-duty death in the 100-year history of the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office.
Sweeting-Mashkow started her career 25 years ago as a dispatcher and worked in the patrol division for 20 years before transferring to the civil process legal department in 2023.
Flowers revealed that the suspect, Halberstam, had a 2006 drug charge and a 2015 misdemeanor assault charge in Virginia.
This month, the department received seven calls, mostly from Halberstam’s mother, regarding his situation at the residence, ultimately leading her to decide to evict him.
Flowers stated that the suspect was not on the department’s watch list and added that the eviction task was “a routine call”.
During the press conference, he emphasized, “Our officers bravely carry out their daily duties, and today, Deputy Terri Sweeting-Mashkow, who has served for 25 years and is 47 years old, gave her life for this community.”
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis earlier on Friday stated that his office has been closely monitoring the situation following the shooting of the officer.
Previously, on September 17th, in North Codorus Township, Pennsylvania, police officers were ambushed while executing an arrest warrant, resulting in the death of three officers and injuries to two others, shocking the local community.
On July 28th, Didarul Islam, a 36-year-old security guard with the NYPD, was shot and killed by a gunman while working in a midtown Manhattan office building. His funeral and memorial events garnered widespread attention, praising his dedication.
On July 18th, at the Biscailuz Training Center of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, three senior bomb technicians died in an explosion while handling ammunition. Authorities suspect it may be related to devices found at an apartment in Santa Monica and are investigating the incident.