The former wives of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer accused of fatally shooting a Colombian immigrant during a traffic stop in Maine say the agency failed to uncover years of alleged abusive behavior because investigators never contacted them during the hiring process, raising new questions about ICE's vetting of recruits.
In interviews with The Independent, Ashley Brouillette, the officer's first ex-wife, said she had long feared David Brouillette would seriously harm someone and believes the July 13 shooting "could have been 100 percent preventable" if ICE had conducted a more thorough background investigation. She said investigators never reached out to her before Brouillette joined the agency late last year.
A second ex-wife, Lucinda Brouillette, also told the news site that she had warned authorities over the years about what she described as a pattern of abuse, intimidation and escalating aggression.
Additional details reported over the weekend by NPR include Brouillette's allegation that her former husband held racist beliefs, including using anti-Black racial slurs in high school, and her concern that racism may have played a role in the fatal encounter. She also told NPR that Brouillette called her after the shooting and asked her not to speak publicly about what she described as abuse during their marriage.
The shooting killed 25-year-old Colombian immigrant Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero during an ICE operation in Biddeford. His family says he was legally authorized to work in the United States and had been issued a Social Security number. Federal officials have acknowledged he was not the intended target of the operation. ICE has defended the use of deadly force, saying the vehicle attempted to flee and an officer fired "fearing for public safety."
An ICE spokesperson declined to comment on the allegations against Brouillette or on his hiring, saying the agency would not confirm or deny information that could identify law enforcement officers.
Court records show Brouillette previously claimed to suffer lasting cognitive impairment after a 2021 head injury, including memory problems, vertigo and impaired cognitive functioning. Brouillette denied those allegations in court filings, and a search of Maine criminal records by CNN found no criminal charges or convictions against him.
The case has intensified scrutiny of ICE's accelerated hiring campaign, which prioritized military veterans and former law enforcement officers and allowed experienced applicants to complete abbreviated training. Former Homeland Security officials told the network the expedited process raised concerns about the extent of background checks conducted before new officers were deployed.
Federal investigations into the Maine shooting remain ongoing.
