The Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer involved in a fatal shooting in Maine is an Army veteran who has struggled with significant mental health issues since childhood, according to several close relatives. These family members assert that the officer, identified as David Brouillette, has a history of violent behavior and should not have been entrusted with a badge and firearm.
Brouillette, 37, shot and killed 25-year-old Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero on Monday near Guerrero's home in Biddeford, Maine. ICE stated that the shooting occurred when the victim's vehicle attempted to flee the scene and an officer discharged his weapon out of concern for public safety. Brouillette's relatives, including his ex-wife Ashley Brouillette and their daughter Madison Brouillette, told The Associated Press that he claimed he acted in self-defense.
ICE spokesperson Lauren Bis said the officer has nearly a decade of federal law enforcement experience, including use-of-force training, but declined to confirm or deny details about Brouillette's record, citing a policy against doxing officers. The White House directed inquiries about the incident to ICE.
Ashley Brouillette recalled her ex-husband mentioning his hiring by ICE late last year. Due to his documented mental health history, she initially believed he was experiencing a mental health episode. She confirmed her ex-husband's account of the shooting after videos of the incident circulated online.
Court records and family accounts detail a pattern of alleged abuse. Ashley Brouillette divorced David Brouillette in 2009, citing physical violence that began after she became pregnant. She recounted an incident where he allegedly threw boiling water at her while she held their infant daughter, an account corroborated by her mother. According to family court filings, Brouillette's second ex-wife also alleged stalking, harassment, and physical and verbal abuse of his daughters, including one instance where he allegedly tackled their teenage daughter and smeared spaghetti in her hair.
In a 2021 application for a temporary protective order on behalf of his teenage daughter, the ex-wife wrote that Brouillette needed counseling for PTSD and depression. He reportedly told his oldest daughter, Madison, that he had once sat with a gun to his head. She told the AP that he struggled with his mental health and never sought help, stating, "If you don't really, truly take care of yourself, there's no way you can protect other people."
An immediate relative, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Brouillette was diagnosed in childhood with manic bipolar disorder and attention deficit disorder, and had been hospitalized multiple times. This relative described him as "extremely mentally ill" and said he attempted suicide twice at age 12. The relative expressed fear of him and has been estranged for years.
Brouillette served in the Maine Army National Guard from November 2007 to January 2010, and then joined the regular Army as a human intelligence collector. He deployed to Afghanistan from May 2012 to February 2013 and left the Army as a sergeant in December 2015. A relative suggested his military service exacerbated his mental health struggles.
After leaving the Army, Brouillette obtained a real estate sales agent license in March 2025, though he is no longer listed on the firm's website. In late 2025, around the time he joined ICE, Ashley Brouillette reported receiving a voicemail from him in which he allegedly threatened her and other women in her "bloodline" with having their throats cut, though he denied making a direct threat.
He allegedly told his ex-wife and daughter that the shooting was justified and that Durán Guerrero was attempting to run him over with a car. Madison Brouillette stated her father does not see himself as a killer but believes he "did the right thing" and "had to protect himself."