Who Shot Johan Sebastian Duran Guerrero in Biddeford?

What Happened?

Imagine a sad and confusing event: this week in a town called Biddeford in the U.S., a man from Colombia was shot and killed by someone who works for a group called U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (or ICE for short — they are like a police team for immigration rules).

We now know who that ICE person was.

• The ICE agent was David Brouillette, age 37.
• The man who died was Johan Sebastian Duran Guerrero, age 25.
• The shooting happened around 7 a.m. at a spot where two streets (Pool and Hill streets) meet.
• Guerrero was inside his car when he was shot.

Important Point: Brouillette was a new ICE recruit (like a beginner trainee) when this happened.

What Did Brouillette Say Right After?

Right after the shooting, Brouillette called his ex-wife, Ashley Brouillette, on the phone. She later told a newspaper (the Portland Press Herald) what happened.

• David admitted on the phone that he fired the shots that killed Guerrero.
• He asked Ashley to “lie for him” and “cover for his character” (basically, make him look good).
• Ashley said he sounded “unusually calm” (not upset like you’d expect).

A magazine called The Atlantic said Brouillette was hired by ICE this year (2026). His name wasn’t officially confirmed until Thursday.

Why Didn’t We Know His Name Sooner?

Usually, when a regular police officer in Maine shoots someone, their name is shared right away. But here, something different happened.

• Federal officials (the bigger national government teams) refused to say who the officer was or share info.
• The Maine attorney general’s office (a state legal team) is doing its own side investigation and also wouldn’t comment.

Important Point: Unlike normal local police, federal ICE officials kept the shooter’s name a secret at first.

What Was Brouillette’s Job History?

We found papers (employment records) that show what Brouillette did before ICE.

• He used to work for the police department that protects the Togus VA Medical Center (a hospital campus for veterans).
  • He was hired there in March 2017.
  • We don’t know exactly when he left.
• Before Togus, he worked less than a year as a prison guard (corrections officer) at the Maine Correctional Center in Windham.
  • He worked there from Nov. 30, 2015 to August 2016.
• Last year, he got a real estate license (to sell houses) in April 2025, but it became inactive in December.
• He also worked two short times as a volunteer firefighter in Manchester (where he lives), but was “removed” (asked to leave) for shouting and not following a boss’s orders.

Was Guerrero “Illegal” or the Target?

ICE said Guerrero was in the country without permission and had a final removal order (a paper saying he should leave). A leader named Markwayne Mullin (Homeland Security Secretary) first said Guerrero had “weaponized” his white car, but later told a senator that Guerrero was not actually the target of the warrant (the legal paper allowing agents to act).

Two groups that help immigrants (Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition and Presente! Maine) said in a statement:

• Guerrero left behind a wife and a young daughter.
• He had permission to work in the U.S.
• He was given a Social Security number (a U.S. ID for work).

No Video of the Shooting

The ICE agents did not have body cameras (small cameras on their clothes). Congress gave $20 million this year for those cameras, but they weren’t used here.

Important Point: Because there were no body cameras, there is no direct video of what happened right before the shooting.

What Happened After the Shooting?

After Guerrero died, ICE temporarily stopped most traffic stops (pulling people over in cars). Another man, Lorenzo Araujo (52, a construction worker in Texas), also died in a traffic stop last week. On Wednesday, President Trump told ICE to go back to the old policy.

Many groups are investigating:

• Federal, state, and local police.
• The Colombian embassy (like Colombia’s office in the U.S.) is watching and talking to Guerrero’s family.
• Colombia’s president called it “murder” and said Guerrero was killed for being seen as “an inferior being devoid of rights.”

Maine leaders also reacted:

1. Maine’s congressional delegation wrote a letter asking for a “comprehensive, transparent, and expedited investigation.”
2. Governor Janet Mills pushed lawmakers to reform ICE or abolish it (end it completely).

Bigger Picture

This may be at least the 11th fatal shooting by ICE agents since President Trump’s second inauguration (not counting deaths in custody).

• At least 21 people died in immigration detention centers in 2026 (by July 6).
• 33 died in 2025.

Earlier in 2026, Maine saw more ICE agents as part of “Operation Catch of the Day.” That slowed down after nationwide anger when two protesters were shot in Minneapolis.

• Of nearly 200 people detained in Maine in January, only 11 had criminal convictions.
• This weakens the claim that ICE was only going after the “worst of the worst.”

Summary

A new ICE recruit named David Brouillette shot and killed Johan Sebastian Duran Guerrero in Biddeford. Brouillette admitted it to his ex-wife and asked her to lie. Federal officials hid his name at first. Records show he was a former campus police officer, prison guard, and briefly a real estate agent. Guerrero had work permission and was not the warrant’s target. No body cameras recorded the event. ICE paused traffic stops after this and another death, and many leaders are calling for investigation or ICE reform. This is part of a larger pattern of deadly ICE shootings in 2026.

FAQ

1. Who was the ICE agent who shot Guerrero?
David Brouillette, a 37-year-old new ICE recruit who previously worked in campus police and as a prison guard.

2. Did Guerrero do something illegal?
ICE says he had a removal order, but a senator was told Guerrero was not the target of the warrant. Immigrant groups say he had U.S. work authorization and a Social Security number.

3. Why is there no video of the shooting?
ICE agents in this case did not wear body cameras, even though Congress funded them this year.

4. What is Maine’s governor doing?
Governor Janet Mills asked lawmakers to reform or abolish ICE after the shooting.

5. How many ICE shootings have happened recently?
This is at least the 11th fatal shooting by ICE agents since Trump’s second inauguration, not including detention deaths.