On the evening of February 19, 2022, a violent shooting occurred in the 7800 block of Birchmont Drive in University City, a suburb of St. Louis, Missouri. The incident claimed the life of Harvey Holloway III, a 24-year-old Black male, who was found by authorities suffering from gunshot wounds. Police had responded to a call reporting shots fired at approximately 8:32 p.m. Upon arrival, they discovered Holloway and an 18-year-old male who had also been struck by gunfire.
Both victims were transported to a local hospital, where the surviving teenager was treated for his injuries, but Holloway was pronounced dead shortly after arrival.
The investigation revealed that the shooting was the result of a dispute over a previous drug transaction. Authorities determined that the perpetrators believed Holloway had purchased marijuana from them using counterfeit currency. On the night of the murder, three individuals drove to Holloway's residence with the intent to confront him under the guise of another sale. When Holloway exited his home to meet them, he was ambushed. Gunfire erupted from the vehicle, with one assailant firing a handgun from the passenger seat and another shooting an AK-style rifle through the car’s sunroof. Investigators later recovered over 20 shell casings from the scene.
Law enforcement identified and charged three suspects in connection with the ambush. Nathanael Anthony Brown-Shatto, a resident of North St. Louis County, and Carlos Albert Castellanos Jr., from Fairfield, California, were apprehended days after the shooting during a traffic stop in a vehicle matching the description of the one used in the crime. Inside the car, officers found weapons and a significant quantity of marijuana. A third suspect, Emanuel Benito Vasquez, was also identified by federal prosecutors as being involved in the conspiracy.
The case was eventually prosecuted at the federal level. In 2024, Nathanael Brown-Shatto pleaded guilty to discharging a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime resulting in death and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Carlos Castellanos Jr. pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and awaited sentencing. The proceedings revealed that while Castellanos drove the vehicle, Brown-Shatto and the third individual were the ones who opened fire on the victim.
