Reginald Brandy

An employee at an auto shop was charged with murder Wednesday after authorities say he fatally shot a co-worker. De Shawn L. Johnson, 23, is charged with second-degree murder and armed criminal action. He was being held at the St. Louis County Jail in lieu of $1 million cash bail. Johnson lives in the 11200 block of Ruesta Drive in the Spanish Lake area of St. Louis County. Authorities allege that Johnson killed Reginald Brandy after the two men got into a verbal dispute while working at Dobbs Tire and Auto, 12626 Dorsett Road. Johnson pulled a gun and fired several times, police said. Officers arrived to the shop shortly before 11 a.m. after hearing reports of shots fired. Officers found 52-year-old Brandy dead, and they arrested Johnson. Maryland Heights police Detective Christopher McNamara said Johnson told officers that he and Brandy had gotten into a dispute but that Brandy hit him several times before Johnson shot him, according to court papers. Johnson also told officers that the two had gotten into arguments before. Johnson does not have an attorney listed in the online court file. Court records spell his first name as De Shawn but police list him as Deshawn. Brandy lived in the 8500 block of College Avenue in St. Louis. His family could not be reached for comment Thursday.