‘I wouldn’t wish this on anyone.’ Bay St. Louis officers killed on duty remembered

For the officers of the Bay St. Louis Police Department, every day is a day to remember their two fellow officers killed in the line of duty a year ago.

But on Thursday, the first anniversary of the shooting deaths of Bay St. Louis Police Sgt. Steven Robin and Officer Branden Estorffe, their brethren, and other local, state and federal officials came together to honor their memory.

The group gathered at the new Bay St. Louis Police Department on Main Street, where Police Chief Toby Schwartz and others unveiled sidewalk stars in front of the building to honor the two police officers who made the ultimate sacrifice.

In addition to the stars, Robin and Estorffe’s families received a commemorative wooden flag from Flags for the Fallen, that include each offer’s name, the date of their deaths and the medal of honor they received for their actions.

Chief Schwartz, who was only a few months into his tenure as chief when Robin and Estorffe were killed, spoke during the dedication of the stars.

“The loss of our two officers was unthinkable. They were our finest, we miss them dearly,” Schwartz said during the dedication.

According to Schwartz, the stars are the 13th and 14th dedicated in honor of various community members, but the only ones designed with the seven point star, designed to mimic the seven point star badge that Bay St. Louis officers wear.

Members of the families of Branden Estorffe and Steven Robin, including Robin’s parents Michael and Julie Robin, who traveled from West Virginia, were present at the dedication and helped to unveil the stars.

“I wouldn’t wish this on anyone,” Estorffe’s father, Ian Estorffe, said the day before the dedication, reflecting on his son’s death. “We are lucky that Branden was able to stop the threat so no one else got hurt. I get to live the rest of my life knowing he was a hero.”

Both officers have been hailed as heroes for the actions they took that day.

The shooting

Coast veterinarian Amy Brogdan Anderson, 43, shot and killed Robin, 34, and Estorffe, 23, in the early morning hours of Dec. 14., 2022, outside of Motel 6 on Highway 90.

Anderson was sitting in the driver’s seat of her SUV with her then 8-year-old daughter inside when she fatally shot Robin. Estorffe was a distance away on the phone with Child Protective Services to get them there over concerns for the safety of Anderson’s child.

Estorffe grabbed his gun from his holster and started running toward the driver’s side of Anderson’s SUV when Anderson started shooting.

One shot hit Estorffe in the upper left arm before he got off two rounds, fatally wounding Anderson as she fired one last round that hit Estorffe in his head, ultimately causing his death, authorities confirmed.

Afterward, a couple at the hotel saw the little girl wandering around the parking lot in a blood-soaked pair of checkered flannel pajamas and called out to her.

The couple sheltered the child until authorities picked her up.

“You are not going to hurt me, are you?” the little girl asked the couple. “Mamma said people are looking for us, that they are going to kill us.”

The couple later asked the little girl what had happened.

“Mom told me to give her the gun, and I gave it to her,” the little girl said to the couple. “My mamma shot the cops, and my mamma got shot, but she’s still got her eyes open, and she’s still breathing.”

Anderson died at the scene.

In the aftermath of her death, authorities learned Anderson’s family had tried to get Ocean Springs police to pick Anderson up because she was acting erratic and had a gun at home.

Ocean Springs police responded to Anderson’s home, but didn’t take her into custody.

One year later

As the dedication wrapped up and spectators left the dedication, Schwartz spoke to the Sun Herald, reflecting on the past year and looking ahead.

“It means everything that the community still remembers the fallen officers,” Schwartz said. “The best part is to know their sacrifice will never be forgotten. This city will always honor and respect them and talk of them in the highest regard. They’ll be forever on the sidewalks of this city.”

Schwartz said he believes things happen for a reason; that his hiring as chief at the Bay St. Louis Police Department was no coincidence and that Estorffe and Robin were meant to respond to that fatal call on Dec. 14, 2022.

“They gave their all and they were the best ones to handle that situation,” he said. “They gave their lives for others.”

Ian Estorffe showed appreciation for the chief’s actions in the last year. “He has left no stone unturned and shown the highest level of professionalism, I can’t imagine what he’s had to deal with in the past year.”

The police department is continuing to move forward as the department plans to move into a new building on Main Street in 2024. The department plans to dedicate aspects of the new building to Robin and Estorffe.

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