Show-Me State Times

ST. LOUIS – Two men have admitted involvement in the fatal shooting of a man in University City, Missouri, in 2022 over suspicions that he purchased marijuana with counterfeit money.

Nathaniel Brown-Shatto, 21, 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. Carlos Albert Castellanos Jr., 22, pleaded guilty on June 6 to one count of conspiracy to possess one or more firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

Brown-Shatto and Castellanos both admitted their roles in a three-person marijuana conspiracy. Brown-Shatto informed the others that the victim had previously bought marijuana from him using counterfeit currency. On February 19, 2022, they were together in a vehicle selling marijuana, all armed. When the victim contacted Brown-Shatto to buy more marijuana, the three drove to his home on Birchmont Drive. Castellanos was driving, Brown-Shatto was in the passenger seat, and the third man was seated at the rear.

When the victim stepped out of his home, Brown-Shatto shot him with a handgun while the third man began shooting through the vehicle’s sunroof with an AK-style rifle, according to their plea agreements. Investigators later recovered 22 spent cartridge casings from both weapons. Both shooters disposed of those weapons; however, Castellanos kept his as he did not use it during the incident.

Three days later, University City police stopped Castellanos and Brown-Shatto in a vehicle matching the description used by the shooters. Both men were armed with handguns and officers found about one pound of marijuana in a backpack inside the car.

The third man involved, Emanuel Benito Vasquez, 21, is facing charges related to marijuana conspiracy as well as discharging a firearm resulting in death and conspiracy to possess firearms for drug trafficking purposes. He has not yet been arrested. Charges are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt; every defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

Castellanos is scheduled for sentencing in December and Brown-Shatto in November.

The case was investigated by University City Police Department along with assistance from U.S. Postal Inspection Service and Drug Enforcement Administration.

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