The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement () officer who fatally shot 25-year-old Colombian national Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero during an enforcement operation in Biddeford, Maine, has been identified by The Associated Press as David Michael Brouillette.
Brouillette is a 37-year-old Army veteran whose relatives allege he has a long history of mental health issues and violent behavior. According to AP, Brouillette’s relatives said he should never have been entrusted with a badge and firearm because of longstanding psychiatric struggles and alleged abuse spanning years.
The shooting has become one of at least 10 fatal encounters involving immigration agents since President Donald Trump returned to office and ramped up immigration enforcement.
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Family alleges violence, mental health struggles
Several of Brouillette’s relatives told AP that he struggled with severe mental illness from childhood. One immediate family member alleged he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and attention deficit disorder.
The outlet reported that Brouillette attempted suicide twice at age 12 and was hospitalized multiple times.
His first wife, Ashley Brouillette, said they married in 2007 but divorced two years later after he allegedly became physically abusive. She told AP that one incident involved Brouillette throwing boiling water at her while she held their infant daughter. Ashley’s mother, Avis Collins, also recounted the alleged incident.
Ashley Brouillette told the AP that during a Facebook audio call, her ex-husband admitted to killing Durán Guerrero.
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‘Dave needs counseling or something…’
In a 2021 court filing, his ex-wife, whom he’d married after Ashley, wrote: “Dave needs counseling or something for his PTSD & depression.”
The ex-wife, who chose to remain unidentified, in several requests for temporary protection orders alleged that he had verbally and physically abused his daughter, as well as stalked and harassed her.
She also alleged that during another episode, Brouillette pulled his teenage daughter around the house while she sobbed and tackled her, smashing spaghetti in her hair.
A judge granted the temporary protective order on behalf of his teenage daughter in 2021. Brouillette denied the allegations in court filings and accused his ex-wife of slander.
His eldest daughter with Ashley, Madison Brouillette, described witnessing her father’s emotional instability. “I watched my dad struggle a lot with a lot of things,” she told AP. She also recalled coming home from school to find him sitting on a tree stump with a gun to his head.
Madison also told the AP that on Wednesday, her father called to inform her that he had shot and murdered Durán Guerrero.
Madison said, “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.”
