AP identifies ICE officer David Brouillette with military background as person involved in shooting of Colombian national John Sebastian Duran Guerrero is attracting new attention.
The shooting in Biddeford, Maine, raised questions about Brouillette’s service history, law enforcement career and the Department of Homeland Security’s vetting process as the Trump administration expands immigration enforcement.
The official’s identity has not been released by the Department of Homeland Security. However, the Associated Press reported, citing relatives and public records, that Brouillette admitted to the shooting while speaking with family members.
ICE declined to confirm his identity, saying it would not “confirm or deny attempts to doxx law enforcement officers.”
Read more: Who is David Brouillette? ICE officer who fatally shot Columbia man in Maine identified
David Brouillette: Military career takes center stage
Brouillette first enlisted in the Maine Army National Guard in November 2007 as a chemical equipment repairman, according to military records reviewed by The Associated Press. He later became a medical logistics expert.
A 2009 Kennebec Magazine article stated that he was a private assigned to the Maine Army National Guard’s 152nd Maintenance Company in Augusta.
In January 2010, Brouillette joined the U.S. regular army and received training as a human intelligence collector. Military records cited by the AP show he was deployed to Afghanistan from May 2012 to February 2013. He completed his Army service and left in December 2015 with the rank of Sergeant.
An immediate family member told The Associated Press that Brouillette was initially rejected by military recruiters because of a childhood mental health diagnosis. According to the relative, the recruiter advised him to stop taking the medication for a year and then reapply.
He was selected for the second time and officially enlisted. The relative claimed Brouillette’s combat deployment worsened his mental health. “Afghanistan destroyed him and trained him into a murderous monster, a machine,” the relative told The Associated Press.
What did Brouillette do after he left the army?
After leaving the army, Brouillette held a number of public sector positions. He worked at the Maine Correctional Center before joining the state’s Department of Health and Human Services and serving as a police officer at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center near Augusta, the Associated Press reported.
He later enrolled in the firefighting program at Southern Maine Community College, according to court records cited by the AP. During training, he was struck in the head by a steel beam and sued over the injury.
His lawsuit claims he suffered from post-concussion syndrome, memory impairment, headaches, vertigo and cognitive deficits. The case was later settled out of court.
Public records also show that Brouillette worked briefly as a truck driver and became a licensed real estate agent in Maine in March 2025, and he joined ICE later that year, according to his ex-wife, Ashley Brouillette.
ICE spokesperson Lauren Bis defended the officer’s qualifications, telling The Associated Press, “We will never confirm or deny attempts to doxx our law enforcement officers.”
She added, “The ICE officer involved has nearly a decade of federal law enforcement experience and has received the necessary training, including use of force training.”
