Holly MatkinBay St. Louis, MS – Bay St. Louis Police Department (BSLPD) Sergeant Steven Robin and Officer Branden Estorffe were murdered in the line of duty while responding to welfare check early Wednesday morning, according to investigators.
The incident occurred at a Motel 6 on Highway 90 at about 4:30 a.m. on Dec. 14, WLOX reported.
When they arrived at the scene, Sgt. Robin, 34, and Officer Estorffe, 23, made contact with a woman who was sitting in a parked vehicle with a juvenile female inside, according to WLOX.
The woman was later identified as 43-year-old Amy Anderson, police said.
After speaking with Anderson for about a half-hour, Sgt. Robin and Officer Estorffe determined that Child Protection Services (CPS) should be contacted, WLOX reported.
Details regarding what led the officers to make that determination were not immediately released.
Investigators said Anderson was still sitting inside the vehicle when she opened fire on the officers, mortally wounding them both, WLOX reported.
Sgt. Robin was pronounced dead at the scene.
Officer Estorffe was rushed to Memorial Hospital in Gulfport, where he succumbed to his wounds a short while later, WLOX reported.
“Two of our finest officers’ lives were taken,” BSLPD Chief Toby Schwartz confirmed, calling the incident a “tragedy.”
Police initially said the suspect fatally shot herself after shooting the officers, WLOX reported.
She was pronounced dead at the scene from a gunshot wound to the chest.
Investigators said it is still possible Anderson shot herself, but that further investigation has revealed one of the officers was able to return fire during the confrontation, WLOX reported.
It is unclear whether the officer’s bullet struck her.
An autopsy will determine her exact cause of death, WLOX reported.
The current whereabouts of the juvenile who was inside the Anderson’s vehicle when police first arrived at the scene has not been released.
The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is handling the ongoing investigation, WLOX reported.
“The Bay St. Louis Police Department, as an agency in mourning, sadly reports the death of Sergeant Steven Robin and Officer Branden Estorffe, both killed in the line of duty during the morning of December 14, 2022,” the BSLPD said in a press release on Wednesday afternoon. “This tragic loss is a sad day for the Bay St. Louis Community and law enforcement. We would like to thank everyone for their patience and understanding during this trying time.”
Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves said in a statement that he is “heartbroken” over the “terrible loss of two brave law enforcement officers.”
“I am praying for their family, friends, their fellow officers, and the entire Bay St. Louis community,” Reeves wrote.
“Every single day across Mississippi, our law enforcement members place their lives on the line in constant and repeated acts of selfless sacrifice for their community,” the governor continued. “They are a key reason that the rest of us are safely and freely able to live our lives. They ARE the thin blue line.”
Sergeant Steven Robin, 34, and Officer Branden Estorffe, 23. EOW: 12/14/2022. Rest in Peace. pic.twitter.com/yCpRnxkzKn
— Steve Johnson (@stjohnson43) December 14, 2022
Dozens of police cars from across the Mississippi Gulf Coast escorted the body of Sergeant Steven Robin to a Bay St. Louis funeral home. He and fellow BSL police officer Branden Estorffe were killed in the line of duty answering a call at a BSL hotel this morning. @WWLTV pic.twitter.com/fcZXpChx94
— Paul Murphy (@PMurphyWWL) December 14, 2022
PJs coffee in downtown Bay St. Louis puts up a mourning wreath for the two officers. pic.twitter.com/GlzEF4KBKi
— Mike Lacy (@MikeLacyWLOX) December 14, 2022
— Governor Tate Reeves (@tatereeves) December 14, 2022
Our thoughts and prayers are with the families Bay St. Louis Police Department Sergeant Steven Robin and Officer Branden Estorffe, both blood and blue. Thank you for your service.
Sergeant Steven Robin and Officer Branden Estorffe, your lives mattered.
