Locksmith dies after being shot during eviction in Florida; a deputy and the shooter also died

Indian River County Sheriff Eric Flowers speaks during a news conference on Friday, Nov. 21, 2025 in Vero Beach, Fla. (WPBF via AP)
Indian River County Sheriff Eric Flowers speaks during a news conference on Friday, Nov. 21, 2025 in Vero Beach, Fla. (WPBF via AP)
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VERO BEACH, Fla. (AP) — A locksmith who was shot while assisting sheriff's deputies serving an an eviction notice in Vero Beach, Florida, has died from injuries, increasing the death toll in the shooting last week to three, the sheriff's office said.

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.

Indian River County Sheriff's Deputy Terri Sweeting-Mashkow — a 25-year veteran of the agency — was killed when the man they were trying to evict opened fire Friday morning. That man, Michael Halberstam, died from his wounds on Saturday, Flowers said.

Another deputy, Florentino Arizpe, who was shot in the shoulder, was released from the hospital over the weekend, the sheriff said.

The sheriff's office had received seven calls from the home over the past month, “almost all” of which were from the mother calling about her son, the sheriff said during a news conference on Friday. Even so, he said, deputies weren’t expecting any trouble when they arrived to evict Halberstam.

Flowers did not say in his post if Sweeting-Mashkow and Long were wearing protective gear, and the sheriff’s office did not respond to an email on the matter Monday morning.

 

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