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Sheriff: 'Thousands of pieces of evidence' being reviewed in deadly sergeant shooting

Sgt. Terri Sweeting-Mashkow, 47, and locksmith David Long were killed Nov. 21

WPTV

Indian River County Sheriff Eric Flowers on Dec. 12, 2025, held a news conference on the fatal shooting of Sgt. Terri Sweeting-Mashkow, 47, and locksmith David Long.

By: Scott Sutton

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INDIAN RIVER COUNTY, Fla. — Investigators continue to comb through "thousands of pieces of evidence" following the shooting last month that claimed the lives of a sergeant and a local locksmith, according to Indian River County Sheriff Eric Flowers.

Flowers shared those details during a Friday afternoon news conference as the community continues to mourn the loss of Sgt. Terri Sweeting-Mashkow, 47, and longtime local locksmith David Long.

WATCH BELOW: WPTV examines past incident reports involving gunman who killed deputy, locksmith

WPTV examines past incident reports involving gunman who killed deputy, locksmith

Both were killed Nov. 21 when they were evicting a resident who opened fire and killed both of them.

The gunman, Michael Halberstam, 37, died a day after the shooting.

The Associated Press reported that Halberstam was terminated from his job at UPS and had a previous narcotics charge and a misdemeanor assault charge.

"I want to make this 100% clear, 1,000% clear, there's only one person who's at fault for this terrible tragedy, and that's the shooter who was killed, who tried to ambush our deputies," Flowers said Friday. "Anybody who thinks otherwise is not telling you the truth. We had 85 years of law enforcement experience on that call. ... Those folks did nothing wrong on this call."

Flowers asked the community for their patience as investigators sift through evidence in the shooting, which he called "active" and "ongoing."

WATCH BELOW: Locksmith killed during fatal eviction was hired by mother, sheriff says

Locksmith killed during fatal eviction was hired by mother, sheriff says

"There's an ongoing parallel state attorney's office investigation. And we will have a grand jury on this case. Our folks will have to testify as to what happened that day," Flowers said. "We have partner agencies who are still processing evidence. We will have to wait to give you all the details you want. We want them too."

The sheriff praised Sweeting-Mashkow's heroism on the day she lost her life.

"Terry died fighting. Terry put bullets in that bad guy," Flowers said.

According to Flowers, the gunman fired more than 25 rounds at deputies and the locksmith.

WATCH THE FULL NEWS CONFERENCE BELOW:

'Thousands of pieces of evidence' investigated in Indian River Co. shooting deaths, sheriff says

The sheriff praised Sweeting-Mashkow and other law enforcement at the scene for protecting the community on the day of the shooting.

"The entire message that should be shared is what heroes they are. Terri's a hero, David Long is a hero, and the only person at fault is the scumbag who decided to shoot and ambush our folks," Flowers said.

On Friday, Flowers clarified details regarding seven previous calls to Halberstam's residence before the shooting. The sheriff said the calls came from the shooter's mother regarding how to evict her son and also to ensure her safety while she was removing her belongings from the residence, but there were "no issues."

"The team of folks that are involved in our civil unit have done over 500 evictions in the last two years. Not a single one of them involved the use of force. Not a single one of them had any issues," Flowers said. "This team is well-skilled. They know exactly how to do their job. An eviction is a civil process. It is not a criminal process. This is not something that we deploy our SWAT team for. The locksmith was not hired by the Indian River County Sheriff's Office. The locksmith was hired by the mom of the shooter as part of the standard process of an eviction."

On the day of the shooting, Flowers said Halberstam was "not on our radar." On Friday, the sheriff sought to clarify that statement.

"What that means to me and what that means to other people apparently is different," the sheriff said Friday. "When I say someone is not on our radar, what I mean by that is we've not arrested this person, we've not Baker-acted this person, which a Baker Act is a mental health hold for someone who is a harm to themselves or others. We've also not applied for or received a risk protection order. ... which is where we take weapons away from people. ... No of those things occurred in this case."

Flowers said his agency received calls about the gunman before Nov. 21, but "none of those calls rose to the level of an arrest, of a Baker Act (or) a risk protection order."

As he concluded Friday's news conference, Flowers thanked the community for their ongoing support following the tragedy.

"The outreach has been incredible. It helps us all heal. Please continue. In the days and weeks that come, it's gonna get harder and harder for us," Flowers said.

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