What happened the morning of the Bay St. Louis Motel 6 shooting? Here’s a timeline of events.
In the early morning hours of Wednesday, Dec. 14, two Bay St. Louis police officers were killed in the line of duty while responding to a welfare concern at the Motel 6 on U.S. 90. Their names were Sgt. Steven Robin, 34, and Officer Branden Estorffe, 23.
The two officers went to the motel to respond to a 911 call made by the front desk on behalf of a guest named Amy Anderson. After arriving on scene, Robin and Estorffe talked with Anderson, who had an 8-year-old child with her, for around half an hour. During this time, a phone call was placed to Child Protective Services.
Shortly after the call was made, Anderson started shooting at the officers in the motel parking lot. Robin was shot in the head, and died instantly. Estorffe was shot and succumbed to his injuries later in a nearby hospital. Anderson also perished in the shooting, but the child that was with her was not harmed.
The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, the agency responsible for investigating all of the state’s police shootings, initially thought that Anderson’s gunshot wound was self inflicted, making her death a suicide. According to Public Service Commissioner Sean Tindell, MBI investigators later found that a round discharged from Estorffe’s gun was actually responsible for Anderson’s death.
A candlelight vigil was held on Thursday at Bay High’s Tiger Stadium in honor of the fallen officers. Family members of both victims and hundreds of community members were in attendance. A joint funeral service for the officers who died together will be held on Wednesday at the Bay St. Louis Community Center, 301 Blaize Ave. Visitation for family, friends, and community members will begin at 9:30 a.m., and the funeral service will begin at noon.
Here’s a timeline of what happened that Wednesday morning. Some of the times listed below are approximate.
2:30 a.m.
Ocean Springs veterinarian Amy Brogdan Anderson, 43, arrives at the Motel 6 in Bay St. Louis with an 8-year-old child. They check in at the front desk.
3:35 a.m.
The Motel 6 front desk manager calls 911 at Anderson’s request. The manager says that the guest (Anderson) sounded distressed.
3:38 a.m.
Officer Branden Estorffe arrives at the scene and is joined a minute later by Sgt. Steven Robin.
3:39 a.m. - 4:18 a.m.
Robin and Estorffe meet up with Anderson to address her 911 call. Anderson tells the officers that she is being followed by a white pick-up truck, and that she fears for her life. Robin and Estorffe investigate Anderson’s allegations, gather information, and take statements. The officers interact with Anderson and the 8-year-old inside and outside of their motel room.
Concerned about the safety of the minor in Anderson’s care, Robin and Estorffe decide to make a call to Child Protective Services. Shortly after, Anderson and the child begin loading their vehicle, and Anderson informs the officers that they will be leaving the Motel 6.
4:19 a.m.
Seated in the driver’s seat of her brown Toyota Highlander, Anderson fires one shot at Robin, who was standing by the driver’s side door. The bullet hits him in the head, killing him instantly. Officer Estorffe, who was on the phone with Child Protective Services, hears the shot and immediately returns to the vehicle. As he approaches, Estorffe and Anderson exchange gunfire. Both individuals are hit, and their injuries are fatal. Estorffe was alive when he was removed from the scene, but died shortly after at a nearby hospital.
The investigation into this shooting is open and ongoing. The Mississippi Department of Public Safety will release additional details to the public upon its completion.
Sun Herald reporter Margaret Baker contributed to this report.
This story was originally published December 20, 2022 at 7:20 AM.