Sgt. Steven Robin
Officer: Bay St. Louis Police Department, Sergeant Steven Robin
Date: 12/14/2022 Location: Bay St. Louis, MS FACTORS (1,2,4,8,9,15,19)
Perpetrator(s) Involved: Amy Brogdon Anderson
Criminal Activity History/Involved: No, Anderson was reported as having “no criminal history.” / Yes, Anderson’s mental illness was putting her child’s life in danger.
Mental Illness: Yes, Anderson “thought that she was being followed and clearly was showing some signs of mental health issues.”
Substance Abuse History/Involved: Unknown. / None stated.
Race/Sex/Age: White/Female/43
What prompted the initial contact with the killer? At around 4:30 a.m. on December 14, 2022, Sergeant Robin and Police Officer Branden Estorffe responded to a Motel 6 parking lot to check on the welfare of a woman who requested the staff call 911.Upon arriving at the motel, the officers located that woman, Amy Anderson, sitting in her vehicle with her 8-year-old daughter in the back seat. After speaking with Anderson for 30 minutes, the officers were concerned about her mental health and the safety of her child, so PO Estorffe walked away from her car to call for Child Protective Services (CPS).
Actions taken by subject toward police: As PO Estorffe called CPS, Anderson flipped out, grabbed a concealed handgun, and shot Sgt. Robin in the face point blank, killing him.
Reactions by the police: PO Estorffe was walking back to the vehicle, approximately 20 yards away when Anderson shot Sgt. Robin, so he quickly unholstered his weapon and fired two shots at Anderson, fatally striking her in the chest simultaneously while she shot him.
How murdered? Sgt. Robin was fatally shot while handling a 911 call to check on the welfare of a woman having a mental health episode.
What could have been done differently for the officer to still be alive? While the officers were concerned for the child’s safety from Anderson, she did not exhibit any threatening behavior that caused them to fear for their lives so they may have lowered their guard and not insisted on her keeping her hands visible the entire time. Additionally, given the anti-police atmosphere, Sgt. Robin was likely reluctant to shoot Anderson when she made the furtive movement, fearing she was just reaching for her phone rather than the gun used to murder him.
Would the officer have been justified to use deadly force before being murdered? Sgt. Robin was justified to shoot Anderson as soon as she made a furtive movement.
Outcome for the cop-killer: Anderson was justifiably shot dead by PO Estorffe.
Miscellaneous: While Anderson had no prior criminal record, reporters should dig into whether she had prior mental illness and if she was lawfully possessing that handgun. It would also be interesting to know what kind of firearms training Anderson received considering her accuracy at 20 yards.
