AP Exclusive: ICE Officer Who Killed Colombian Man in Maine Has History of Violence, Family and Records Say

In a stunning turn of events that exposes deep cracks in federal hiring practices, an Army veteran with a documented history of severe mental illness and violence has been revealed as the officer behind a fatal shooting that adds to a growing tally of deaths during immigration enforcement operations.

AP Exclusive: ICE Officer Who Killed Colombian Man in Maine Has History of Violence, Family and Records Say

Atlanta, GA – July 17, 2026 — The Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer who shot a Colombian man in Maine this week is an Army veteran who has struggled with serious mental health issues since early childhood and never should have been given a badge and gun to patrol American streets, several of his close relatives told The Associated Press. David Brouillette has a history of terrifying and violent behavior, according to those relatives. They accuse him of attacking women in his life over the years, and one shared a voicemail with the AP from last winter in which he told her that he thought someone should slit her throat. Brouillette's troubling past further challenges how thoroughly the Department of Homeland Security has vetted recruits as it went on a hiring spree to help carry out President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown. At least 10 people have died in encounters with immigration agents since Trump launched the crackdown after retaking office, including 25-year-old Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero, a Colombian national who was shot and killed by Brouillette on Monday July 13 while in his car near his home in the coastal Maine city of Biddeford.

The Fatal Shooting in Biddeford

DHS, which hasn't released the name of the officer who killed Durán Guerrero, has said the "vehicle attempted to flee the scene and, fearing for public safety, an officer discharged his weapon." Brouillette didn't respond to text messages or an email seeking comment. Three relatives who said they spoke to him since the shooting, including an ex-wife and daughter, said he told them he acted in self-defense. When reached for comment about Brouillette's record and his role in Monday's shooting, ICE spokesperson Lauren Bis said in a statement that, "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." Brouillette, 37, told his ex-wife Ashley Brouillette late last year that he had been hired by ICE.

She said that because of his long history of psychiatric issues, she thought he was having a mental health episode and she didn't believe him. She didn't realize he'd been telling the truth until this week, when videos began circulating online. Ashley Brouillette told the AP that she spoke to her ex-husband in a Facebook audio call, and he acknowledged that he had killed Durán Guerrero. Their 18-year-old daughter, Madison Brouillette, also told the AP that her father called her Wednesday and said that he shot and killed Durán Guerrero. David and Ashley Brouillette were high school sweethearts who got married in 2007.

Family History of Violence and Abuse

She said she divorced him in 2009 because he had become physically violent with her. According to Ashley, he once threw boiling water at her while she was holding their child, an incident her mother Avis Collins also recounted. David Brouillette doesn't appear to have a criminal record in Maine. But hundreds of family court records obtained from the Augusta District Court clerk's office detail years of allegations of physical and verbal abuse raised by his second ex-wife. She alleged he stalked and harassed her and abused his daughter, tackling her and smashing spaghetti in her hair, dragging her around the house. "Dave needs counseling or something for his PTSD and depression," she wrote in an application for a temporary protective order which a judge granted in 2021.

His oldest daughter, Madison, said she witnessed his volatility. She came home from school once and he told her he had been sitting on a tree stump with a gun to his head. "If you don't really, truly take care of yourself, there's no way you can protect other people. And with my dad, he never wanted to get help," she said. An immediate relative said he was diagnosed with severe bipolar disorder and ADD as a child, described him as "extremely mentally ill," and said he attempted suicide twice at age 12 and was hospitalized multiple times. Growing up in Gardiner, Maine, about 60 miles northeast of Biddeford, Brouillette was enchanted by law enforcement.

Mental Health Struggles From Childhood

He was in Naval Junior ROTC and planned to become a police officer. Rejected initially by military recruiters due to his mental health diagnoses, recruiters encouraged him to go off his medications for a year and reapply. He eventually enlisted in the Maine Army National Guard (Nov 2007-Jan 2010), then joined the regular Army as a human intelligence collector, deploying to Afghanistan (May 2012-Feb 2013), leaving as a sergeant in December 2015. His relative said "Afghanistan destroyed him — trained him to be a killing monster." In March 2025, he became a real estate agent.

In late 2025, around the time he joined ICE, he left a voicemail telling his ex-wife she and the women in her "bloodline" should have their throats cut. After the shooting, he told her he was in protective custody and claimed the shooting was justified — the victim tried to run him over. "I don't think he sees himself as a killer," his daughter said. The July 13 shooting in Biddeford has raised questions about how someone with such a background could be armed and authorized to enforce immigration laws on the streets of America.

Military Service and Deployment Impact

David Brouillette's path from Gardiner, Maine, through military service highlights repeated opportunities where his mental health issues might have been addressed more rigorously. After high school he pursued law enforcement dreams but faced initial rejection from recruiters over documented diagnoses of severe bipolar disorder and ADD. Following advice to pause medications, he served in the Maine Army National Guard from November 2007 to January 2010 before transitioning to active duty as a human intelligence collector.

His deployment to Afghanistan from May 2012 to February 2013 left lasting effects, according to relatives who described how the experience transformed him. One relative stated directly that "Afghanistan destroyed him — trained him to be a killing monster." Brouillette left the Army as a sergeant in December 2015, carrying forward the psychiatric challenges that family members say were evident since childhood, including two suicide attempts at age 12 and multiple hospitalizations.

ICE Hiring and Official Responses

Brouillette's hiring by ICE in late 2025 occurred amid a broader push to expand enforcement capabilities under the immigration crackdown that has already seen at least 10 deaths in agent encounters. Ashley Brouillette initially dismissed his claim of joining ICE as a mental health episode given his history, but later confirmed it after the July 13 incident in Biddeford became public through videos.

ICE spokesperson Lauren Bis responded to inquiries by emphasizing the officer's "nearly a decade of federal experience and required training" while refusing to confirm identities — Bis stated, "We will never confirm or deny attempts to dox our law enforcement officers." Relatives, including Ashley and Madison Brouillette, reported that David Brouillette described the shooting of Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero as self-defense, claiming the vehicle attempted to run him over. This aligns with the DHS statement that the "vehicle attempted to flee the scene, and, fearing for public safety, an officer discharged his weapon."

Voicemail Threats and Protective Orders

Family court records from Augusta District Court detail extensive allegations against David Brouillette, including physical violence such as throwing boiling water at Ashley while she held their child. His second ex-wife sought and received a temporary protective order in 2021, citing stalking, harassment, and abuse of his daughter, including incidents of tackling and smashing spaghetti in her hair.

A voicemail left last winter explicitly threatened his ex-wife and women in her "bloodline" with having their throats cut. In the message, he repeatedly called her "disgusting" and said, "All of you should have your f***ing throats cut." Madison Brouillette recalled witnessing her father's volatility firsthand, including an occasion when he described sitting on a tree stump with a gun to his head. These elements from the source material underscore repeated warnings from relatives that Brouillette should never have received a badge and gun.

What This Means

The revelations about David Brouillette's background — from his childhood diagnoses in Gardiner, Maine, through his Afghanistan deployment and the July 13 shooting in Biddeford — point to systemic issues in how ICE and DHS screen candidates during rapid hiring expansions tied to the immigration crackdown that has resulted in at least 10 deaths. Relatives like Ashley Brouillette, Madison Brouillette, and others have shared details of violence, including the boiling water incident, the 2021 protective order, and the throat-slitting voicemail, to highlight risks that went unaddressed.

Statements from Lauren Bis affirm training protocols, yet the family's accounts of bipolar disorder, suicide attempts, and post-deployment changes raise questions about ongoing vetting. The case of Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero adds to the tally, and relatives maintain that Brouillette acted in self-defense while insisting he never saw himself as a killer. This situation, detailed in the AP exclusive, demands closer scrutiny of recruitment practices to prevent future tragedies.

By Jessica Ali, Staff Writer