IRRIGON — An Irrigon man faces a murder charge after shooting and killing a man he knew in front of witnesses.

Brett Ian Carson, 43, is in the Umatilla County Jail, Pendleton, on initial charges of second-degree murder and the unlawful use of a weapon.

Morrow County District Attorney Justin Nelson said Carson knew the victim, Donald Eugene Beal, and the two may have worked together at an Amazon facility in Morrow County.

The Morrow County Sheriff’s Office at around 9 p.m. on July 8 responded to the Oregon Trail RV Park in Irrigon on a report of a man being shot in the eye, according to a press release from the Nelson’s office. The victim was Beal, the press release stated, who died while medical personnel tried to treat his injuries.

Nelson said the two men were with others outside Beal’s residence and may have gotten into an argument or dispute. He said police don’t know what led up to the killing, but it came as a surprise to witnesses.

The district attorney also explained there was no need to call on the local major crimes team because witnesses identified Carson as the shooter and told law enforcement where he lived in Irrigon.

Deputies went to Carson’s home and arrested him. After interviewing Carson and witnesses, the sheriff’s booked him into jail.

The district attorney’s office charged Carson in circuit court on July 9. The court denied bail for Carson.

The sheriff’s office also would like to hear from anyone with information about the case. The number to call is 541-676-5317.

State court records show Carson in 2015 pleaded guilty in Umatilla County to a misdemeanor of second-degree disorderly conduct. And in 2010 in Crook County he pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm and driving without driving privileges. The prosecutor in that case reduced the offenses to violations.