Coast veterinarian shot 2 Bay St. Louis police officers with child in the car at Motel 6, MBI says
A veterinarian from Ocean Springs shot and killed two Bay St. Louis police officers Wednesday morning before she is suspected of killing herself in a car in the parking lot of Motel 6, Sean Tindell, commissioner of the Mississippi Department of Public Safety, told the Sun Herald.
Amy Brogdon Anderson, 43, was identified by the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation as the woman who fired the shots before she died of a gunshot wound to the chest. A child under the age of 10 was with Anderson in a brown Toyota Highlander.
Anderson had backed her SUV into a parking spot on the west side of Motel 6 when two Bay St. Louis police officers arrived around 4:30 a.m. Wednesday. The police officers were responding to a welfare check.
Bay St. Louis police Sgt. Steven Robin, and Officer Branden Estorffe, 23, parked near Anderson’s vehicle.
The officers had talked to Anderson for about a half hour, during which a call was placed to child protective services, according to the preliminary investigation.
Shortly after that, Anderson started shooting, resulting in the deaths of Robin and Estorffe.
Anderson was a longtime veterinarian who worked at MedVet in Mobile, according to her Facebook page.
She also worked at veterinary offices in Vicksburg, where she grew up, and in Ocean Springs and Gulfport, a records search showed.
In 2005, Anderson spoke to the Vicksburg Post about how she “wanted to be a veterinarian since I was old enough to know what it was.”
She was following in the footsteps of her father, Bob Anderson, who was a veterinarian at Vicksburg Animal Hospital for 18 years. Anderson has a degree in nutrition and dietetics from the University of Southern Mississippi. She pursued her degree in veterinary medicine at Mississippi State University.
Authorities are still trying to piece together other details about the shootings.
“This is a sad day for the city of Bay St. Louis and the state of Mississippi with the loss of two fine law enforcement officers getting shot in the line of duty,” Tindell said.
Other local and state dignitaries offered their condolences for the fallen officers Wednesday.
“I am heartbroken by this terrible loss of two brave law enforcement officers,” Gov. Tate Reeves said. “I am praying for their family, friends, their fellow officers, and the entire Bay St. Louis community. 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.”
A press conference about the shooting is set for Thursday.
A makeshift memorial to honor the police officers killed in the line of duty is set up at City Hall, which houses the Bay St Louis Police Department.
“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. “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.”
Bay St. Louis Police Chief Toby Schwartz said the investigation is continuing.
“A tragedy occurred here today in the city of Bay St. Louis as two of our finest officers’ lives were taken,” said Schwartz. “We are gathering facts and will ensure a thorough investigation into this matter.”
Sun Herald reporter Mary Perez contributed to this report.
This story was originally published December 14, 2022 at 1:42 PM.
