VERO BEACH — Motorists can expect major traffic congestion and delays along Aviation Boulevard on Tuesday morning as first responders nationwide, colleagues, friends and family say their last goodbyes to slain Sgt. Terri Sweeting-Mashkow.
Sgt. Terri Sweeting-Mashkow PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY INDIAN RIVER COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE
Sweeting-Mashkow is the second Indian River County Sheriff’s deputy to be killed in the line of duty since the agency’s inception 100 years ago. Sheriff Eric Flowers said Sweeting-Mashkow was a friend to everyone and that her funeral will be held with honors.
“She was one of those steady hands in the mix every single day. She was one of those people you could count on no matter what. You knew she would always be there for you,” Flowers said. “There’s nobody at the agency that would have a bad word to say about Terri. Everybody has a great ‘Terri story’ to tell.”
The funeral for Sweeting-Mashkow, who was fatally shot on Nov. 21 while serving an eviction at a beachside home, will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 2, at the Corporate Air Hangar. The hangar is located at 2614 Airport N. Drive at the Vero Beach Regional Airport.
Flowers said deputies will be monitoring traffic in the area. Motorists traveling along Aviation Boulevard between 43rd Avenue and U.S. 1 between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. should use caution, sheriff’s officials said.
“Anywhere in that area is going to be tough to navigate tomorrow,” Flowers said on Monday during a briefing with the media. The sheriff said he hopes people at the funeral will see how much Sweeting-Mashkow was truly loved.
“We’ve got a lot of people who are really hurting right now,” Flowers said. “We’re going to continue to help them, lean into each other and focus on the best thing for our agency and community to get us through this tragedy.”
Flowers clarified that Sweeting-Mashkow’s funeral is open to the public as long as seating is available. The sheriff said the hangar has 2,300 seats, along with standing room for 1,000 people.
Flowers said the front gate for parking will open at 9 a.m. Then, at 10 a.m., separate lanes will be set up for dignitaries, sheriff’s office employees and their families, other agencies, retirees, and the general public.
“We will seat (those in reserved seating) as long as we can up until five minutes before the ceremony starts,” Flowers said. “Once we get to that point, we are going to open the doors. Any other seats are going to be open to the public.”
The funeral will be broadcast live on the sheriff’s office Facebook page.
A makeshift memorial for Sweeting-Mashkow, along with her patrol vehicle, will be on display at the funeral. Flowers said Charlie Sembler, the former tax collector for Indian River County, created a large metal sheriff’s badge for Sweeting-Mashkow’s family. The metal badge will also be on display at the funeral.
Video by Nick Samuel
Sweeting-Mashkow will be buried at Crestlawn Cemetery, located off Old Dixie Highway.
Members of the sheriff’s office who were impacted by the shooting can participate in the Sheriff’s Traumatic Advocate Response program, a peer-support group that partners with Emerald Medical health clinic. The program provides mental health services for all sworn and non-sworn members of the agency.
“Emerald Medical has been spectacular to every one of our team members,” Flowers said. “We have a lot of folks who have gone to counseling and therapy sessions. That’s going to continue in the days and weeks that come.”
Sweeting-Mashkow, 47, was gunned down when she, along with Deputy Tino Arizpe and Deputy Gary Farless, attempted to serve an eviction at a home in the Bermuda Club – a gated, beachside community. The deputies were accompanied by longtime locksmith David Long.
Arizpe was shot in the shoulder, hospitalized and released two days later. Long, 76, was shot multiple times and died at the hospital on Nov. 23.
Farless, who stood outside of the residence, was not injured.
The shooter, 37-year-old Michael Halberstam, was shot multiple times after exchanging gunfire with Arizpe and Farless. Halberstam was taken to HCA Florida Lawnwood Hospital in Fort Pierce, where he died from his injuries the next day.
Sweeting-Mashkow worked at the sheriff’s office for 25 years. She began her career as a dispatcher, then worked road patrol for 20 years. In 2023, Sweeting-Mashkow was moved to the sheriff’s legal process civil unit.
The veteran deputy leaves behind a husband and three children, Flowers said.
“We’re hurt. Our agency is really hurting right now. It’s been a rough Thanksgiving for our team,” Flowers said. “This is not something anybody in my command staff has ever experienced. We’ve all been to law enforcement funerals, but it’s never been somebody we knew.”
Photos by Joshua Kodis
