ICE officer with history of violence and mental health problems kills Colombian man in Maine

David Brouillette, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer, shot and killed Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero, a Colombian national, in Biddeford, Maine, on July 13, 2026. According to statements from his relatives and court records obtained by The Associated Press, Brouillette has a history of mental health problems and gender-based violence.

Brouillette, 37, is an Army veteran who has faced serious mental health struggles since childhood, according to relatives who spoke to The Associated Press. They described him as having a history of terrifying and violent behavior, including allegations of assaulting women in his life. One family member shared a voicemail with the AP from last winter in which Brouillette allegedly said he believed someone should slit her throat.

The victim, Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero, was 25 years old and the father of a three-year-old girl. According to immigrant advocacy groups, he had a Social Security number and was authorized to work in the U.S. Maine Senator Angus King has said that Durán Guerrero was not subject to an arrest warrant and that ICE officers at the scene weren’t wearing body cameras.

Brouillette's ex-wife, Ashley Brouillette, told the AP that he had informed her late last year that he had been hired by ICE. She did not believe him at first due to his long history of psychiatric issues. However, she realized he was telling the truth when videos of the Biddeford incident began circulating online.

The revelation about Brouillette's past has renewed doubts about ICE's recruitment process. Representative Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, the top Democrat on the House Homeland Security Committee, said that Brouillette’s history of violence and mental health problems "directly call into question the purported vetting and training process ICE conducts with its recruits."

Since President Donald Trump returned to the White House and pushed his goal of the largest deportation effort in history, ICE has struggled to carry out necessary arrests, prompting a recruitment drive and a shortening of training hours for new officers. At least 10 people have died in encounters with immigration agents since Trump launched the crackdown after retaking office, including Durán Guerrero and Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, who was fatally shot by an ICE officer in Texas on July 7.

Democratic lawmakers are pressing for a review of ICE hiring practices and continuing calls for an investigation into the circumstances surrounding Durán Guerrero's killing. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer pointed to ICE's recent hiring spree as evidence that the Trump administration prioritized expansion over public safety.

"Republicans gave this rogue agency vast power and no accountability," Schumer said.

The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, has not identified Brouillette as the officer involved in the shooting. ICE spokesperson Lauren Bis said in a statement that the agency would not confirm or deny attempts to identify the officer, citing concerns for the safety of law enforcement officers and their families.

The White House referred all questions about the shooting and Brouillette to ICE. Brouillette did not respond to multiple requests for comment from various media outlets.

The incident has drawn fresh criticism of ICE, particularly in light of several other recent deaths involving ICE officers. Immigrant advocacy groups and lawmakers are calling for independent investigations of the Department of Homeland Security, which has been carrying out the White House’s aggressive anti-immigrant campaign.

In addition to the killings of Durán Guerrero and Salgado, there were two other subsequent, ICE-related deaths within the same week that also led the public and lawmakers to call for independent investigations of DHS.

Brouillette’s ex-wife divorced him in 2009 after he allegedly became physically abusive after she became pregnant with their daughter. Another ex-wife alleged that Brouillette stalked and harassed her, and that he physically and verbally abused his daughter.

The reports have drawn new attention to the hiring practices at federal immigration agencies, which have faced criticism for loosening their standards to expand their ranks. President Donald Trump has pledged to undertake the largest deportation campaign in US history, and agencies like ICE have conducted a hiring spree to meet the White House’s demands.

In January, ICE reported it had increased its manpower by 120 percent, swelling its workforce with 12,000 new hires. Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, however, pointed to those statistics as evidence that the Trump administration prioritised expansion over public safety.

“The Trump administration rushed 12,000 agents onto our streets without ensuring they were fit to carry a badge and a gun,” Schumer said.

The Department of Homeland Security has not released the name of the officer who killed Durán Guerrero, but multiple media outlets have identified him as David Brouillette based on statements from his family members.

Messages left at telephone numbers associated with Brouillette were not immediately returned. The White House declined to comment on the incident.