Two Mississippi police officers were killed early Wednesday morning while responding to a welfare check.
Amy Anderson, 43, shot and killed two police officers at the Bay St. Louis Motel 6 around 4:30 a.m., according to a statement from the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation. Government agencies are investigating the shooting.
The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation said officers were doing a welfare check and spoke with Anderson when he was in a parked vehicle for 30 minutes before he shot them.
A minor was with Anderson at the time and authorities called Child Protective Services during their response. The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation did not immediately respond to questions about the juvenile’s condition.
One officer was pronounced dead at the scene, but the other initially died from his injuries, the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation said. The officers were identified as Sgt. Steven Robin, 34, and Officer Brandon Astorff, 23.
Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves said he was “heartbroken” by the loss and was praying for the family as well as “the entire Bay St. Louis community.”
“Every day in Mississippi, our law enforcement members put their lives on the line in continuous and repeated acts of selfless sacrifice for their communities,” Reeves said in a statement. “They are the main reason the rest of us are able to live our lives safely and freely.”
Bay St. Louis Mayor Mike Favre asked people aware of the situation to keep the community in their thoughts in the coming days and weeks.
“This is a very sad situation, and our deepest thoughts and condolences go out to the families of our missing officers,” Favre said.
Bay St. Louis is a city located on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, about 60 miles northeast of New Orleans.