The Killing of Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero
[Photo credit: Ryan Murphy / Getty Images]
Last month, in Biddeford, Maine, a federal immigration officer fatally shot 26-year-old Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero. The young father, originally from Colombia, was driving his vehicle when he was killed. His wife and 3-year-old daughter, wearing Bluey pajamas, were with him in the car. Friends and family have described Guerrero as a “workhorse” and devoted husband and father: “All he did was work and talk about his little girl.”
What We Know About the ICE Shooting of Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero
While DHS has refused to name the ICE officer who pulled the trigger, Ashley Brouillette said that her ex-husband, 37-year-old David Brouillette, told her he was the shooter. Several family members describe Brouillette as having a history of mental health issues, including a diagnosis of severe bipolar disorder.
Family court records reviewed by the Associated Press revealed years of complaints about physical and mental abuse on the part of Brouillette against another ex-wife and his daughters. A stint in the Army, including a deployment in Afghanistan, worsened his mental health struggles, according to a family member: “They took someone who was extremely mentally ill and turned him into a killing machine.” A high school friend of Brouillette told Mother Jones, “I was surprised anybody would give that man a gun.”
Guerrero Was Not the Target of the ICE Operation
According to an attorney representing his widow, Guerrero had a Social Security number and a work permit, both issued by the Trump Administration. A DHS spokesman said that the ICE officers were executing a warrant at the time of the shooting, but have conceded that Guerrero was not their target. The officers involved were not wearing body cameras.
Witness Accounts and the Lack of ICE Body-Camera Footage
A witness to the shooting told the New York Times: “I heard a howl that came from your soul, that your whole life had just changed and it was never going to be the same.” Another witness reported hearing Guerrero say, as he lay dying, “I tried to stop.”
Protests and Calls for ICE Accountability in Maine
The killing has shaken Mainers to their core. Several days of protests followed the shooting. ICE made a policy change to not pursue people in vehicles only to be reversed by the President. Significantly, Maine Senator Susan Collins, has come under fire from Mainers because she voted for the additional $70 billion appropriation for ICE.
Part of those funds were meant for body cams for ICE officers, but the lack of follow-through by ICE meant that there were no cameras for the shooting of Mr. Guerrero. At the same time, Democrats were choosing a candidate to challenge Senator Susan Collins in the fall midterm elections and support for ICE has become a big issue in the race. The leading Democrats embraced the Abolish ICE position in the wake of the shooting and Maine Democrats ultimately selected Troy Jackson as their nominee, a fierce critic of the agency who has pledged to dismantle it.
Johan’s death was tragic, but it seems to have awakened the same spirit of resistance in Mainers that has gripped the people of Minnesota in the wake of the murders of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. We hope that this leads to real efforts to hold ICE accountable.