In the News

U.S. Representative Mike Ezell, R-Mississippi, has introduced a bill honoring the lives of two Bay St. Louis officers who lost their lives in the line of duty.

With his first authored piece of legislation, H.Res.63, the former Jackson County Sheriff made it his mission to pay respects to Sergeant Steven Robin and Officer Branden Estorffe, who were shot in a Motel 6 parking lot on December 14, 2022.

“Before I was sworn in, south Mississippi mourned the tragic loss of two Bay St. Louis police officers, Sgt. Steven Robin and Ofc. Branden Estorffe,” Ezell said on social media. “With my first bill, I honored their lives and service. May we never forget the sacrifice these officers made in the line of duty.”

According to the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation (MBI), the officers were shot in the motel’s parking lot by local veterinarian Amy Anderson, 43, of Ocean Springs.

The MBI released that the motel called 911 around 3:35 a.m., requesting for a welfare check to be made on Anderson in her hotel room. Mississippi Department of Public Safety Commissioner Sean Tindell later released that Anderson told motel staff that she believed she was being followed.

Upon arrival, Officers Robin and Estorffe encountered Anderson in her room before she made her way to her vehicle with her eight-year-old daughter and three dogs. Tindell stated the officers attempted to delay Anderson for around 40 minutes while she packed her things to leave the motel.

Officers Robin and Estorffe then discussed contacting Child Protective Services (CPS), which was reported to be what caused Anderson to begin shooting while being seated inside her car.

Both officers were injured in the incident, with Robin immediately dying at the scene and Estorffe receiving a shot in the arm and head. During the shootout, Estorffe fired two rounds from his gun, with one hitting Anderson in the chest, killing her. Officer Estorffe was then transported to Memorial Hospital in Gulfport where he later succumbed to his injuries.