Relatives identified the ICE officer who shot and killed 25-year-old Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero in Biddeford, Maine, on Monday as David Brouillette and said he had long struggled with severe mental illness and violent behavior.
DHS, which has not released the officer’s name, said the “vehicle attempted to flee the scene and, fearing for public safety, an officer discharged his weapon.” ICE spokesperson Lauren Bis said, “We will never confirm or deny attempts to dox our law enforcement officers,” and that “The ICE officer in question has nearly a decade of federal law enforcement experience with required training including use of force training.”
His ex-wife, Ashley Brouillette, told investigators and relatives she spoke to him in a Facebook audio call in which he acknowledged that he had killed Durán Guerrero, and their 18-year-old daughter, Madison Brouillette, told relatives he called her Wednesday and said he shot and killed Durán Guerrero.
Hundreds of family court records obtained from the Augusta District Court clerk’s office include multiple requests for temporary protection orders filed by a second ex-wife who alleged stalking, harassment and physical and verbal abuse of her and the couple’s daughters.
The second ex-wife’s filings say Brouillette tackled a teenage daughter, smashed spaghetti in her hair and dragged the girl around the house as she cried; a judge granted a temporary protective order in 2021, and the petition included the line, “Dave needs counseling or something for his PTSD & depression.”
An immediate relative who spoke on the condition of anonymity said Brouillette was diagnosed with severe bipolar disorder and attention deficit disorder as a child, attempted suicide twice at age 12 and was hospitalized multiple times; Madison Brouillette told relatives she once found her father sitting on a tree stump with a gun to his head. According to U.S. military records, Brouillette enlisted as a chemical equipment repairer in the Maine Army National Guard, later changed jobs to be a medical logistics specialist and served from November 2007 until January 2010; a 2009 Kennebec Journal article listed him as a private in the Guard’s 152nd Maintenance Company, and relatives said recruiters encouraged him to go off his medications and reapply.
Durán Guerrero’s widow, Karolina Rojas, said he was a devoted father who had come to the U.S. in 2023 and was born and raised in Bucaramanga, Colombia; she said, “My soul is broken; he was everything to me,” and Durán Guerrero’s lawyer, Benjamin Gideon, said Durán had been following a lawful process and been issued a work permit and Social Security number under the Trump administration.
The shooting was the second ICE use of deadly force in less than a week after the July 7 fatal shooting of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston, and the AP reported that at least 10 people have died in encounters with immigration agents since President Donald Trump began his immigration crackdown; the White House referred questions about the Maine shooting to ICE.
The revelations about Brouillette have drawn fresh scrutiny to Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s rapid expansion of its workforce. Homeland Security said in January it had hired 12,000 new officers since the hiring surge began and that the growth was fueled by an infusion of billions of dollars granted by Congress. Critics raised concerns about whether new officers were being properly vetted; Homeland Security has rejected those concerns but acknowledged some applicants received tentative selection letters and offers to begin working on a temporary status before they had been subjected to full background checks.
ICE officials have touted a large applicant pool, and Todd Lyons, ICE’s former acting director, said during a congressional hearing in February the hiring campaign drew more than 220,000 applications. The agency has advertised signing bonuses of up to $50,000, said college degrees were not required and lowered the hiring age to 18. Job postings for deportation officers say applicants must be U.S. citizens, pass a background investigation and a drug test, complete a physical fitness test and be able to obtain and maintain a security clearance; deportation officers are required to carry a firearm, which would exclude anyone convicted of domestic violence.
Former ICE officials and trainers have said the agency reduced training and testing for some new recruits as it rushed to expand its ranks, a claim Homeland Security denies. Ryan Schwank, a former ICE lawyer who oversaw training, said the agency reduced the overall amount of training and the testing needed to graduate. In June, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said the agency would increase the amount of training for new officers starting this month, from 42 days to 72 days.
Democratic members of Congress demanded answers about Homeland Security’s vetting and training of immigration enforcement agents after it was disclosed Thursday that the ICE officer involved in the Maine shooting had a history of mental health issues and violent behavior.
Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, the top Democrat on the House Homeland Security Committee, said Brouillette’s history of violence and mental health issues, as well as the death in Maine, “directly call into question the supposed vetting and training ICE does of its recruits.” He said, “This senseless tragedy must be investigated and the officer responsible should be taken off our streets and face justice for his actions.”
Sen. Chuck Schumer, the Senate Democratic leader who led a shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security earlier this year as Democrats tried to impose restraints on immigration enforcement operations, said, “The Trump administration rushed 12,000 agents onto our streets without ensuring they were fit to carry a badge and a gun — and Republicans gave this rogue agency vast power and no accountability. They empowered ICE. Now they must work with us to prevent more killings.”
Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, the Republican chair of the Appropriations Committee, said an “impartial investigation into the shooting in Biddeford needs to proceed, as the details surrounding this tragedy are important.” Collins said it was “extremely unfortunate” the agent did not have a body-worn camera and noted that she ensured $20 million for expanded use of body-worn cameras and $2 million for deescalation training as part of the Homeland Security funding bill that Republicans approved to end the department shutdown. “The Democratic government shutdown delayed enactment and implementation of these important safety measures,” she said.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., called the revelations “absolutely appalling” and said, “This agent clearly should never have had a gun — let alone one provided to him by the United States government. And now a man is dead. I’m going to continue demanding answers and accountability.” Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., said the administration “have encouraged ICE and CBP to enter and terrorize our communities, even if those agents are untrained, improperly vetted, or lack experience,” and added, “The killing of Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero was horrifying, and there must be a credible, independent, and transparent investigation so that those responsible are held accountable.”
Officials said Durán Guerrero was shot and killed by Brouillette on Monday while in his car near his home in the coastal Maine city of Biddeford.