ICE officer who shot Colombian man in Maine has documented history of mental health issues and prior abuse allegations
David Brouillette, an ICE officer and Army veteran, shot 25-year-old Colombian national Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero in Biddeford, Maine. Relatives say Brouillette has long-standing mental-health diagnoses and a record of domestic abuse, raising questions about his suitability for law-enforcement duties.
An Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer identified as David Brouillette shot and killed 25-year-old Colombian national Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero on Monday in Biddeford, Maine. Federal officials said the vehicle attempted to flee and the officer fired out of concern for public safety.
Brouillette, 37, is a former Army sergeant who served in Afghanistan and later joined ICE. Family members told reporters that he has been diagnosed with severe bipolar disorder and attention-deficit disorder since childhood and has a history of violent behavior toward women in his life. They cited multiple court filings alleging physical and verbal abuse, as well as a voicemail in which he threatened a former partner.
An ex-wife and his 18-year-old daughter said Brouillette told them he acted in self-defense. The officer did not respond to requests for comment. ICE spokesperson Lauren Bis said the agency would not confirm or deny the identity of officers and noted that the officer has nearly a decade of federal law-enforcement experience, including use-of-force training.
The White House referred inquiries about the shooting to ICE. No criminal record for Brouillette was found in Maine, though family court records show repeated allegations of abuse and protective-order requests. A relative who spoke on condition of anonymity described him as “extremely mentally ill” and said he had attempted suicide twice as a child.
Brouillette’s military service began after he was initially rejected because of his mental-health diagnoses; he later enlisted, served in the Maine Army National Guard, and was deployed to Afghanistan from 2012 to 2013. After leaving the Army in 2015, he briefly worked as a real-estate agent before joining ICE.
The incident adds to scrutiny of the Department of Homeland Security’s hiring practices amid a broader increase in encounters between immigration agents and the public since the 2020 immigration policy changes.