An Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot and killed 25-year-old Colombian national Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero on Monday in the coastal city of Biddeford, Maine. The Department of Homeland Security stated that the officer discharged his weapon after a vehicle attempted to flee, citing concern for public safety. The agency has not officially released the officer’s name, but relatives identified him as David Brouillette, 37, an Army veteran. ICE spokesperson Lauren Bis said the officer has nearly a decade of federal law enforcement experience and has completed required training, including use-of-force instruction.

Relatives of Brouillette, including his ex-wife Ashley Brouillette and their 18-year-old daughter, told the Associated Press that he has struggled with serious mental health conditions since childhood, among them bipolar disorder and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. They allege a pattern of violent behaviour and domestic abuse: Ashley Brouillette recounted an incident in which he threw boiling water at her while she held their child. Hundreds of pages of family court records from Augusta District Court, reviewed by the AP, detail years of physical and verbal abuse allegations lodged by a second ex-wife on behalf of herself and his daughters. No criminal record for Brouillette was found in Maine. The relatives said he told them he acted in self-defence, claiming Durán Guerrero tried to run him over; Ashley Brouillette said she viewed videos of the scene and saw no such attempt.

In Washington, Democratic lawmakers seized on the disclosures to question the vetting and training of immigration enforcement personnel. Representative Bennie Thompson, the top Democrat on the House Homeland Security Committee, said the officer’s history and the death “directly call into question the supposed vetting and training ICE does of its recruits.” Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer asserted that the administration “rushed 12,000 agents onto our streets without ensuring they were fit to carry a badge and a gun.” Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine, who chairs the Appropriations Committee, called for an impartial investigation and noted it was “extremely unfortunate” the agent lacked a body-worn camera; she blamed a prior Democratic government shutdown for delaying implementation of $20 million in funding she had secured for expanded camera use and de-escalation training.

The shooting is the latest in a series of fatal encounters since the administration intensified immigration enforcement. At least 10 people have died in such incidents, according to tallies by news agencies. The Associated Press reported earlier this year that some ICE applicants received tentative selection letters before full background checks were completed. The Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general announced an audit of ICE hiring and training last August, but no findings have been released. Brouillette is reportedly in protective custody, according to his ex-wife. The shooting remains under investigation.