David Long, a 76-year-old male locksmith from Vero Beach, Florida, was critically wounded on November 21, 2025, while assisting deputies from the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office with a court-ordered eviction at a home in the Bermuda Club/Somerset Bay community off Governors Way. He had been hired in his professional capacity to open the door and change the locks after deputies carried out the eviction, a common practice in Florida civil evictions where locksmiths are brought in because law enforcement cannot lawfully change locks themselves. Long was shot during a sudden burst of gunfire inside the residence and was transported in extremely critical condition to HCA Lawnwood Hospital in Fort Pierce; he died there on Sunday, November 23, from the injuries he suffered two days earlier, becoming the third fatality linked to the incident.
According to investigators and multiple news accounts, deputies went to the property that morning to serve an eviction notice on 37-year-old Michael Halberstam, whose mother owned the home and had requested help removing her son. Three deputies — including Sgt. Terri Sweeting-Mashkow and Deputy Florentino Arizpe — arrived with Long to carry out what they believed would be a routine civil process. Once they were inside, Halberstam armed himself and opened fire on the group. Sweeting-Mashkow was fatally shot in the home. Long and Arizpe were both struck by gunfire, with Long suffering the most severe wounds. Halberstam was also shot during the exchange and was taken from the scene to a hospital under guard.
In the hours and days that followed, Long remained hospitalized in critical condition. A family member later told local media that he experienced serious complications on Saturday night and was placed on life support. On Sunday afternoon, after doctors advised that there was no hope for recovery, he was removed from life support and pronounced dead at approximately 2:41 p.m. Deputy Arizpe, who had been shot in the shoulder, was treated and released from the hospital and is recovering at home. Halberstam died at the hospital on November 22 from his own gunshot wounds, leaving no surviving suspect in the case. With the deaths of Sweeting-Mashkow, Halberstam, and Long, authorities described the episode as a triple-fatal shooting stemming from an attempted eviction.
Sheriff Eric Flowers publicly identified Halberstam as the gunman and said deputies had responded to the same residence seven times in the month before the shooting, with nearly all of the calls coming from Halberstam’s mother about her son’s behavior. Even so, Flowers said the team did not anticipate violence when they arrived for the eviction. As of the latest reporting, law enforcement agencies have not announced any additional suspects, and coverage of the case consistently presents Halberstam as the sole shooter responsible for the attack. Because the alleged gunman died of his injuries shortly after the incident, there have been no arrests reported in connection with Long’s death.
In the days after his passing, Long was remembered in news reports and community tributes as a dedicated locksmith and small-business owner who had served Indian River County for decades. He had founded or helped run local lock-service businesses dating back to the 1970s, and a later company, David Long Lock Service, Inc., continued that work into recent years. Colleagues and family described him as a hardworking tradesman who showed up whenever law enforcement or residents needed his skills. Flowers called him a “dedicated professional” and an “everyday hero” who was simply doing his job when he was caught in “an unthinkable act of violence.” Neighbors in Vero Beach spoke of the shock of suddenly not seeing his work truck in its usual place and gathered at a memorial to honor both Long and the fallen deputy, saying his name had become a symbol of the community’s collective grief and resilience.
