Master Deputy Brandon Scott Collins, a 44-year-old White male, was killed in the line of duty on September 11, 2016, in Overland Park, Johnson County, Kansas, which is part of the Kansas City metropolitan area. While the user's prompt mentions St. Louis, Missouri, the details of a high-profile death involving a 'Brandon Collins' in the region align with this incident. Deputy Collins, a 21-year veteran of the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, was conducting a routine traffic stop on northbound U.S. 69 Highway near West 143rd Street at approximately 1:30 a.m. After speaking with the driver of the pulled-over vehicle, he returned to his patrol car.
As Deputy Collins sat in his vehicle, a Ford F-250 pickup truck driven by Adrian Espinosa-Flores struck the patrol car from behind at highway speeds. The impact caused the patrol car to burst into flames, and Deputy Collins died at the scene from blunt force trauma. Espinosa-Flores, who was 38 years old at the time, fled the scene on foot but was located and arrested by officers a short time later. Authorities determined that Espinosa-Flores was driving under the influence of alcohol and did not have a valid driver's license; he was in the country illegally and had prior convictions for driving under the influence in California.
Adrian Espinosa-Flores was charged with second-degree murder, involuntary manslaughter while driving under the influence, and leaving the scene of an accident. In 2017, he pleaded guilty to reckless second-degree murder and was subsequently sentenced to 12 and a half years in prison. Deputy Collins was survived by his wife and two daughters.
