ICE Officer in Maine Shooting Had History of Violence, Records Show
The Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer who fatally shot a Colombian immigrant in Biddeford, Maine, this week has a documented history of violent behavior, serious mental health struggles, and prior domestic abuse allegations, according to an exclusive investigation by The Associated Press. The revelations have intensified scrutiny of ICE’s rapid hiring practices under the Trump administration and sparked a national debate over enforcement tactics.
The Shooting
On Monday, July 13, ICE agents conducting surveillance in Biddeford encountered 25-year-old Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero at the intersection of Pool and Hill streets. Officer David Brouillette, 37, fatally shot Guerrero, who was sitting in his white Kia. Guerrero, a Colombian national who arrived in the U.S. in September 2023, had work authorization and a Social Security number, according to immigrant advocacy groups. He worked cleaning a veterinarian’s office and delivering food to support his wife and 3-year-old daughter.
“His dream was to give his daughter a better future. It was the American Dream. And now it’s no longer a dream,” Cristian Joya, a childhood friend, told the Bangor Daily News.
Sen. Angus King’s office confirmed that Guerrero was not the intended target of the ICE warrant. The Department of Homeland Security has claimed Guerrero’s vehicle “attempted to flee the scene,” but has not provided evidence to support that account. The ICE agents were not equipped with body cameras, despite Congress approving $20 million in funding for them earlier this year.
A Troubled Background
Brouillette, an Army veteran who served in Afghanistan, was diagnosed with severe bipolar disorder and attention deficit disorder as a child, according to family members. An immediate relative told the AP that he attempted suicide twice at age 12 and was hospitalized multiple times. Military recruiters initially rejected him due to his mental health diagnoses but encouraged him to go off his medications for a year and reapply, which he did.
His ex-wife, Ashley Brouillette, told the Sun Journal that she divorced him in 2009 because he became physically violent after she became pregnant. She described an incident where he threw boiling water at her while she was holding their child. Hundreds of family court records obtained by the AP detail years of allegations of physical and verbal abuse raised by his second ex-wife, including claims that he stalked and harassed her and physically abused his teenage daughter.
In late 2025, around the time he joined ICE, Brouillette left a three-minute voicemail for his ex-wife in which he suggested that she and the women in her family should have their throats cut. “Am I threatening that I’m gonna do that? Nope. Nope. But do I think that you should have your f---ing throats cut? Yep,” the voicemail said, according to the AP.
Questions Over ICE Hiring
The case has brought renewed attention to ICE’s rapid hiring surge under the Trump administration. Multiple investigative reports have documented systemic vetting failures. An AP investigation in April found that some new ICE officers started working before passing background checks, and a Reuters/Guardian report in February revealed internal ICE emails acknowledging the agency was struggling to vet new hires.
ICE has refused to confirm Brouillette’s identity, stating it “will never confirm or deny attempts to dox our law enforcement officers.” The agency said the officer “has nearly a decade of federal law enforcement experience with required training including use of force training.” However, records show Brouillette’s law enforcement career included stints at the Maine Correctional Center, the VA police force, and Maine’s Department of Health and Human Services — none lasting more than a year.
Broader Context
At least 10 people have died in encounters with immigration agents since Trump launched his immigration crackdown after retaking office. At least 21 people have died in immigration detention centers in 2026. The Maine shooting followed a similar incident in Houston, where an ICE agent fatally shot Lorenzo Salgado Araujo.
President Trump initially ordered a suspension of most ICE vehicle stops after the two shootings but reversed course, posting on Truth Social that traffic stops “must continue.” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that “vehicle stops are continuing” and that “verbal guidance has been given to all field offices across the country.”
What’s Next
Maine’s congressional delegation has called for a “comprehensive, transparent, and expedited investigation” into Guerrero’s death. Gov. Janet Mills has called for reforms or abolition of ICE. Colombian President Gustavo Petro condemned the killing as “murder,” saying Guerrero was “killed because he was deemed an inferior being devoid of rights.”
Brouillette, who is reportedly in protective custody, told his ex-wife and daughter that the shooting was justified and that he acted in self-defense. His daughter, Madison Brouillette, told the AP: “I don’t think he sees himself as a killer. I think he thinks that he genuinely did the right thing.”
The case raises unresolved questions about how Brouillette passed ICE’s background checks, whether he will face criminal charges, and whether Congress will investigate the agency’s hiring practices. As the debate over immigration enforcement intensifies, the shooting in Biddeford has become a defining flashpoint in the national conversation.