Relatives of David Brouillette told reporters he was the agent who shot Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero. They also alleged he has physically and verbally abused women in his life.
Originally published by The 19th.
The man identified as the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer who fatally shot Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero, a Colombian immigrant in Maine last week, had a documented history of domestic violence against two previous wives and his daughters, according to reporting by the Associated Press (AP).
The AP reported Thursday that the agent, David Brouillette, had a long history of verbal and physical abuse documented in the state’s family court system. Two women who were once married to Brouillette also spoke to the AP, detailing the abuse they say Brouillette subjected them to.
Multiple reports of domestic violence incidents against Brouillette raise questions about the agency’s hiring practices as it rapidly grew its ranks to carry out President Donald Trump’s mass deportation agenda.
The death of 25-year-old Durán Guerrero, a Colombian national who was shot and killed Monday while in his car with his wife and daughter, is the latest killing resulting from interactions with immigration officials.
Ashley Brouillette, who divorced David Brouillette in 2009, said her ex-husband became physically violent with her after she got pregnant with their daughter. Once, she said, Brouillette threw boiling water at her while she was holding their child.
She said the abuse continued after their divorce. Late last year, Ashley Brouillette said, her ex-husband left her a voicemail, which she shared with the AP, in which he suggested that she and other women in her “bloodline” should die.
“And all of you should have your f——–g throats cut,” the voicemail said, according to the AP. “Yeah, you should. Am I threatening that I’m gonna do that? Nope. Nope. But do I think that you should have your f——-g throats cuts? Or should have had them cut? Yep.”
Another ex-wife, who was not named in the AP story because of her fear of retaliation, submitted multiple requests for temporary protection orders against Brouillette, she said, claiming stalking, harassment, and physical and verbal abuse against a daughter. In one instance, she said, Brouillette tackled his teenage daughter and smashed food into her hair.
The Department of Homeland Security has not publicly identified Brouillette, but family members who spoke to him after the shooting and saw images of the incident confirmed his identity and said he told them he was hired by ICE late last year, around the time he sent the threatening voicemail.
In a statement, an ICE spokesperson said the agency “will never confirm or deny attempts to dox our law enforcement officers. … Publicizing their identities puts their lives and the lives of their families at serious risk.”
Neither ICE nor DHS responded to a request for comment about the agency’s hiring practices, including whether its background check process includes a review of family court records.
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