Relatives Describe Troubled Past of ICE Officer Involved in Maine Shooting Incident

Federal officials identified David Brouillette as the officer who shot and killed Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero during an immigration-related encounter in Biddeford, Maine, on Monday, July 13, 2026. Relatives and his ex-wife then described a history of severe mental-health problems and alleged threats against women.

Brouillette, 37, lives in Manchester, Maine, and previously held several law enforcement and public safety jobs in the state. He is also a licensed real estate agent and a U.S. Army veteran who received disability benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs after serving in Afghanistan.

The shooting happened near Guerrero’s home around 7:00 a.m. local time. Guerrero, 26, was Colombian and authorized to work in the United States with a Social Security number. He was shot in front of his 3-year-old daughter.

The officer is on leave pending the investigation. Questions remain about what happened before the gunfire.

Relatives said Brouillette received diagnoses of manic bipolar disorder and attention deficit disorder as a child. They said he attempted suicide twice at age 12 and spent time in hospitals.

One relative described him as “extremely mentally ill.” Relatives also accused him of attacking women over the years. A voicemail from last winter allegedly included a threat that someone should “slit her throat.”

Ashley Brouillette, his former wife, said he called her after the shooting and admitted killing Guerrero. She said he defended the shooting as self-defense.

Officials and relatives give sharply different accounts of the encounter

The Department of Homeland Security said the “vehicle attempted to flee the scene.” The department also said an officer fired after “fearing for public safety.”

Brouillette gave relatives a different explanation. He said he acted to protect himself.

The involved officers did not wear body cameras, according to the investigation details. That leaves federal and state investigators to reconstruct the encounter through witness accounts and other evidence.

The FBI is leading the federal investigation. The Maine attorney general is launching an independent state investigation, while the Department of Homeland Security inspector general also plans to examine the shooting.

The inquiries will address the circumstances surrounding Guerrero’s death and the officer’s use of force. They will also examine the conduct of the immigration officers at the scene.

Brouillette worked in federal immigration enforcement after Maine public-safety jobs

Brouillette worked in Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations division. Lauren Bis, an agency spokesperson, said he had “nearly a decade of federal law enforcement experience with required training including use of force training.”

Bis also said, “We will never confirm or deny attempts to dox our law enforcement officers.”

His background includes military service in Afghanistan and multiple Maine law enforcement and public safety positions. His military service later brought disability payments from the Veterans Affairs Department.

The combination of those jobs and his federal training has become part of the public scrutiny surrounding the shooting. His relatives’ accounts have focused on his childhood diagnoses, hospitalizations and alleged threats.

The death followed another fatal ICE-related shooting in Texas

The Maine shooting came less than a week after a deadly ICE-related shooting in Houston, Texas, on July 7. It became the second such shooting in that period.

The Trump administration temporarily paused most vehicle stops after the Houston shooting. Officials later overturned that suspension.

The FBI, Maine attorney general and Homeland Security inspector general are now pursuing separate or overlapping examinations of the Maine case. The officer remains on leave while those investigations proceed.