Amy Brogdon Anderson was the Mississippi veterinarian who is accused of fatally shooting two Bay St. Louis area police officers in a Motel 6 parking lot in front of a child in the early morning hours of December 14, 2022.
Bay St. Louis is a city located in Hancock County, Mississippi. The slain officers were Bay St. Louis police Sergeant Steven Robin, and Officer Branden Estorffe. Read tributes to Robin and to Estorffe. Estorffe, 23, was the son of a police officer. Robin was 34 years old.
A police procession accompanied the officers’ bodies.
“A tragedy occurred here today in the city of Bay St. Louis as two of our finest officers’ lives were taken,” said Bay St. Louis Police Chief Toby Schwartz. “We are gathering facts and will ensure a thorough investigation into this matter.”
Here’s what you need to know about Amy Anderson and the deadly shootings:
1. Authorities Say the 2 Officers Responded to a Welfare Check Call at the Motel 6 & Encountered Amy Anderson, Who Was Sitting in a Parked Vehicle With a Child
FacebookAmy Brogdon Anderson
In a press release, the Mississippi Department of Public Safety, wrote that, at approximately 4:30 a.m., Bay St. Louis Police Department officers Branden Estorffe (23 years old) and Steven Robin (34 years old), “responded to a call for a welfare check at the Motel 6 in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, located at 1003 Highway 90.”
Upon arriving, “the two officers encountered a female subject, 43-year-old Amy Anderson, who was sitting in a parked vehicle along with a minor female.”
The release continued:
After nearly a 30-minute interaction with Anderson, during which time a child protective services resource was called, Anderson discharged a weapon from inside the vehicle striking both officers. Officer Robin received fatal injuries at the scene and Officer Estorffe succumbed to his injuries a short time later. Anderson died at the scene as a result of a gunshot wound to her chest.
“I am heartbroken by this 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,” said Governor Tate Reeves, in the news release.
“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,” Reeves said. “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.”
2. Anderson Once Said She Brought ‘New Ideas’ to the Veterinary Profession
FacebookAmy Anderson
A 2005 article in the Vicksburg Post described how Anderson, then Amy Brogdon, was a veterinarian at Vicksburg Medical Clinic, where she worked with another female veterinarian.
“Women show compassion more than males. Clients like that in a certain way,” Anderson’s co-worker, Dr. Rachel Potter, told the Post. Anderson told the Post that she had received “nothing but respect” from the doctors at the clinic.
“They have been accepting of new ideas,” she told Vicksburg Post at that time. “It’s flattering when they ask. They want to know what’s out there since I’m fresh out of school.”
She and Potter said that the toughest part of being a female veterinarian was dealing with animals “that weigh twice as much as the doctor.”
3. Anderson, Who Grew Up in Vicksburg, Worked as an Emergency Veterinarian in Ocean Springs
FacebookAmy Anderson
According to the Sun-Herald, at the time of the police shooting, Anderson, 43, was working as a veterinarian in Ocean Springs.
In addition, Anderson had worked as a veterinarian in Vicksburg and Gulfport, the newspaper reported.
She grew up in Vicksburg, according to the Sun-Herald. On Facebook, Anderson described herself as “Emergency Veterinarian, Small animal medicine and surgery at MedVet Mobile” and “Veterinarian, Small Animal at Lakeview Animal Hospital.” She lived in Ocean Springs, Mississippi.
4. Tributes Flowed in for the Deceased Police Officers
Toby Schwartz, Bay St. Louis police chief, said in a December 15, 2022, news conference that he wanted to take the time to “talk about the lives of two heroes that sacrificed their lives for the good of society.”
Sgt. Steven Robin was employed with the Bay St. Louis police force since 2019. He began his law enforcement career in 2010. He also worked for the Hancock County Sheriff’s Department and another police department. He was a 12-year veteran of law enforcement “promoted through the ranks to become a sergeant.”
“He took his role in mentoring others quite seriously,” Schwartz said. “He knew it was his job to make great cops out of young rookies. He truly embraced his place as a role model in the profession.”
He added: “Steven did his job as a supervisor extremely well.” He said Robin “provided so much more to those entering the profession.” He said he “provided the love support and encouragement they needed to do their jobs.”
Robin was a husband, father and grandparent, according to Schwartz.
Estorffe joined the police force in 2021. He “followed in father’s footsteps. He is new to the profession. Branden grew up surrounded by tons of other police officers, all of whom would watch out for him.”
Schwartz called him an “exceptional cadet, truly going places in law enforcement.” He remembered his maturity and politeness and said Estorffe had “a professionalism about him that not many 23 years olds have.”
Noted Schwartz: “He worked hard to do his best each and every day, knowing he made his father and every inherited police father and mother and his mother extremely proud.”
Tributes flowed for the two officers.
“This is a very sad situation, and our deepest thoughts and condolences go out to the families of our lost officers,” said Bay St. Louis Mayor Mike Favre, in the news release. “We ask that you pray for the City of Bay St. Louis, the Bay St. Louis Police Department and their families and that you keep them in your thoughts in the coming days and weeks during this difficult time.”
Madison Bartlett was in a relationship with Estorffe. She wrote of Estorffe:
My best friend. I wanted forever with you. You taught me what it’s like to be loved. You loved Baylor as if she were your own. You brought me so much happiness. My favorite part of my day was you. You brought me out of such a hard time. You were patient, kind and loving. The most selfless person I know. I don’t want this life without you. I love you forever Branden Estorffe.
5. Anderson Was a Mother Who Chronicled Her Trips With Her Family on Facebook
FacebookAmy Brogdon Anderson
On December 5, in her last visible Facebook post, Anderson wrote:
“New addition to family tradition!!…Now this was a fun way to celebrate the holiday season!! 🎄🫶❤️🙏 Thanks for making us all laugh that much harder!! 🐾😅 and for dealing with the pups!! I won’t ever go without em again!!” The post shows her with four children.
Most other photos show her with three kids. Some of the photos show them on family vacations. She wrote:
The kids and I checked another big item off of our bucket list, and we had the most amazing vacation with some added education in Maui, Hawaii!! It was without a doubt the most beautiful place we’ve ever been, and we packed as much adventure, fun, hysterical laughs and memories as we could in 6 days…I wouldn’t change a single thing about this perfect lil fam of mine and am so grateful I got to share the trip of a lifetime with my favorite people in the world!!🐾❤️
Anderson studied at The University of Southern Mississippi and at Mississippi State University, according to her Facebook page. She went to Warren Central High School.
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