Former Spouse Reveals ICE Officer’s History of Aggression and Prejudice Following Fatal Maine Shooting
Ex wife says ICE agent who killed – According to individuals who knew him well, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer accused of fatally shooting a Colombian national in Maine exhibited both violent tendencies and racist attitudes throughout his life. Ashley Brouillette, the officer’s former wife, confirmed to NPR that her ex-husband, David Brouillette, was the law enforcement official who shot Joan Durán Guerrero four times during what was supposed to be a routine traffic stop in Biddeford on Monday.
She learned of his involvement when he contacted her on Wednesday, requesting that she support his reputation. “He asked me to basically talk good in his character, not to talk bad about him,” Ashley explained. “And if I couldn’t not talk bad about him, then just not to talk at all to anybody.” She made clear her position, telling him she would not deceive anyone on his behalf. When he specifically asked her to remain silent regarding the abuse she endured during their marriage, she reiterated that she would not lie for him.
Friends and Family Recall a Pattern of Behavior
Scott Collins, who became best friends with David Brouillette during their high school years in Maine, provided additional perspective on his former friend’s character. Collins had testified on Ashley’s behalf during their divorce proceedings. According to David’s legal representatives, the friendship between Collins and Brouillette eventually deteriorated because Collins felt jealous of his friend’s professional achievements.
“He had a bad tendency of going out and looking for fights,” Collins recalled. “If he saw something online that he didn’t like, that somebody said that he knew, he would go out and start that fight.” Collins also noted that David used anti-Black racial slurs while they were in high school together. Ashley Brouillette expressed concern that racism might have contributed to Durán Guerrero’s death. “He has displayed racism. His nickname in high school was ‘White Boy David,’ if that tells you anything,” she stated.
A Marriage Marked by Violence
Ashley has known David since they were both preteens. Their marriage, which spanned from 2007 to 2009, contained numerous violent episodes. One particularly harrowing incident occurred during an argument. “There was an incident where we had been fighting, and I walked away and I got in the shower, and he comes in with a gun and pointed at me and tells me that he’s going to blow my brains all over the bathtub,” she recounted to NPR.
Although no police reports exist to verify this account, Ashley explained that she had recanted her story on multiple occasions. She described doing so after complaining to authorities about her ex-husband’s conduct. “Even though he did all these horrible things to me, in a way, he was still like my security blanket because he’s all I ever known. And so I would recant my story and say he didn’t do anything. And so then the police wouldn’t arrest him for it,” she explained. “David always intimidated me. It’s part of the reason why I stayed silent all these years about things that I’ve gone through.”
Voicemail Threats and Mental Health Concerns
Ashley preserved a profanity-laden voicemail from November, which she had recorded after filing for a restraining order against her ex-husband. In the message, which NPR obtained, David slurred his words and concluded by saying that Ashley and the women in her family should have their throats cut. “Am I threatening that I’m gonna do that? No, no. But do I think that you should have your f****** throat cuts? Or should have had them cut. Yep,” the voicemail stated.
During their contentious divorce in 2009, Ashley contacted Brouillette’s platoon leader in the Maine Army National Guard. She offered to fax documentation showing that he had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and borderline schizophrenia. According to Ashley, they dismissed her concerns as the complaints of a “petty ex-wife.” An NPR attempt to reach the Maine National Guard by phone and message was not immediately successful.
Questions About Background Checks
When David first informed Ashley at the end of last year that he had been hired by ICE, she was skeptical. “I honestly thought that he was being delusional and I didn’t believe it,” she said. Ashley remains uncertain whether a thorough background check was conducted. Had one been performed, investigators might have uncovered a pattern of violence. For instance, in 2022, Ashley claims that both child protective services and police were summoned to his residence after he threw his then-13-year-old daughter through a window.
David Brouillette has not responded to messages from NPR requesting comment. An ICE spokesperson declined to confirm or deny whether Brouillette was the officer responsible for Durán Guerrero’s death. However, ICE spokesperson Lauren Bis stated in an email that the officer in question possesses “nearly a decade of federal law enforcement experience with required training.”
