ST. LOUIS – In a grim case that has shocked the University City community, two men have admitted their involvement in the fatal shooting of a man during a drug deal gone wrong in 2022. Nathaniel Brown-Shatto, 21, and Carlos Albert Castellanos Jr., 22, faced the court this week after admitting to their roles in the tragic incident.
Brown-Shatto pleaded guilty Tuesday in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of knowingly discharging a firearm in furtherance of the commission of a drug trafficking crime resulting in death. Castellanos Jr., on June 6, took responsibility for one count of conspiracy to possess one or more firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
The men were both part of a three-person marijuana conspiracy that involved selling drugs. Brown-Shatto told the others that the victim had used counterfeit money to purchase marijuana from him previously. On February 19, 2022, armed with handguns and an AK-style rifle, they met the victim at his home for another sale. The shooting occurred as the victim stepped out of his house, with Brown-Shatto and the third man, Emanuel Benito Vasquez, 21, opening fire.
Investigators later recovered 22 spent cartridge casings from both weapons. Both shooters discarded their firearms but Castellanos Jr. kept his because he did not use it during the shooting. Three days after the incident, University City police apprehended Castellanos Jr. and Brown-Shatto in a vehicle matching the description of the one used in the attack.
The third man, Vasquez, is still at large and faces charges including discharging a firearm resulting in death and conspiracy to possess firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking. The case has been actively investigated by the University City Police Department, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Castellanos Jr. is scheduled for sentencing in December, while Brown-Shatto will face court in November.
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Key Facts
- State: Missouri
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Fraud & Financial Crimes|Violent Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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