Branden Estorffe: Tribute to the Slain Bay St. Louis Officer

Officer Branden Estorffe and Sgt. Steven Robin are the two Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, police officers who were shot and killed by a veterinarian at a Motel 6 parking lot on December 14, 2022.

Estorffe was remembered for his patient and loving demeanor as well as his bright smile. He was described by a training officer as “absolutely a Warrior, a Great Police Officer, and an Amazing person!” According to the Sun-Herald, Estorffe was the son of a police officer Ian Estorffe.

Read a tribute to Sergeant Steven Robin here. He was 34 years old.

Bay St. Louis is a city located in Hancock County, Mississippi. The murders occurred in the early morning hours of December 14, 2022. The suspect, Amy Anderson, shot herself dead at the scene, authorities said in a news release.

“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 Estorffe:

Estorffe Was Remembered as ‘Patient, Kind & Loving’

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.

On Facebook, Estorffe wrote that he went to Slidell High School, lived in Gulfport, Mississippi, and was from Slidell, Louisiana.

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.”

A Man Who Trained Estorffe Remembered Him as ‘The Cadet Every Instructor Wants & Deserves’ Who Was ‘So Humble, So Eager to Learn’

A man who trained Estorffe in the police academy wrote on Facebook, “This morning I woke up to news that absolutely crushed my heart and soul! At first sight of the message, I didn’t want to believe it. I refused to believe it! I was informed that one of my own that I had the opportunity to raise in the beginning of their very own Law Enforcement career had been shot along with another Officer. I was informed Sergeant Steven Robin and Officer Branden Estorffe were shot in the Line of Duty.”

The man continued:

Officer Branden Estorffe was the cadet every Instructor wants and deserves! He came to the Police Academy as one individual and left a completely different person. I was blessed to have the opportunity to watch him grow and learn! At the end of the Police Academy, I was fully confident that Estorffe was going to be the Officer every Agency wanted. He was so humble, so eager to learn, and had the drive and determination to make the impossible into possible.

My heart goes out to the Officers and their families, to the Bay St. Louis Police Department, the community!

It’s important that during times of tragedy and chaos, we remember to support one another! Through a single incident, there are many that are affected by this. But together we will overcome the pain!

Officer Estorffe I’ll always remember your smile! I remember always looking at you during the mornings at Physical Training sessions and screaming, ‘Cadet Estorffe!!! Let me see your smile’ as I had just made you run 2 miles and put you through a workout that nearly had you pass out, and without hesitation you always gave me the brightest and most enthusiastic smile. A smile that would instill motivation and enthusiasm into the rest of the class!

Right now, I’ll cry…. But I promise to always give you my biggest and brightest smile! I’ll always carry that memory in me as long as I live!

Ian Estorffe you are an Amazing man and father and it shows! Branden was absolutely a Warrior, a Great Police Officer, and an Amazing person! You and the family will be in our Prayers!!!

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. – John 15:13

Another friend wrote on Facebook, “Branden Estorffe, you will be missed greatly by many, but especially by your family. Your dad was so proud of you. Reflecting on our time together, I remembered we had the same sense of humor so we shared many laughs with each other. My heart is heavy.”

The Mayor Asked for Prayers for the Officers’ Families & the Police Department

Tributes flowed for the two officers. One came from the Bay St. Louis mayor.

“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 a 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.”

The Governor Declared Himself ‘Heartbroken’ Over the Officers’ Deaths

“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. 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.”

Estorffe & Robin Responded to a Welfare Check Call at a Motel 6

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.

Anderson was a mother and veterinarian from Ocean Springs, Mississippi.

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