Murder Suspect Arrested In Front Of Norwalk Deli: Report

STAMFORD, CT — A 27-year-old suspect has been arrested by Stamford police in connection with the March 30 murder of Stephon Walthrust on Garden Street in Stamford, according to authorities.

Rashad Sellers, who most recently lived in Bridgeport, was arrested at about 6:28 a.m. on Friday by members of the Norwalk and Stamford police departments as he was entering an unnamed deli on East Avenue in Norwalk, Stamford police said.

He was taken into custody without a struggle, and at the same time, officers raided and searched his Bridgeport home and the West Haven home where his family resides, according to authorities. What, if any, evidence may have been found at either location was not disclosed.

The specifics of how Sellers was developed as a suspect were not disclosed, but Stamford Police Capt. Richard Conklin said the department "worked tirelessly" over the past 13 days to solve the case.

"Through old fashion police work and 21st Century policing techniques we were able to develop a suspect, Rashad Sellers, put him under surveillance, apply for an arrest warrant and multiple search warrants all of which were executed successfully today," Conklin stated.

Sellers has been charged with murder and criminal use of a firearm, and is being held in lieu of bail of $1 million.

Walthrust, 26, of Queens, NY, was sitting in the driver's seat of his car when he was shot multiple times. The motive for the killing, the city's first homicide of 2019, was not disclosed, but the Stamford Advocate writes that it could have concerned a disagreement over money.

"The Stamford Police Department is extremely proud of the hard work and dedication of Lt. Thomas Scanlon, Sgt. Paul Guzda, Officer Eva Maldonado, Officer Frank Laccona and Officer Michael Franzetti; all of whom worked tirelessly on this case," Conklin said. "Additionally, we would like to recognize the vital importance and assistance that was provided by Lt. Christopher Baker and his Officers from the Narcotics and Organized Crime Unit.

"We take pride in Stamford being a safe city. It is our hope that today's arrest has made not just our community safer but other communities safer as well. This was a crime that occurred in Stamford but was not born here. It is our belief that Stamford was just a location of convenience for these parties to meet and sadly ended in such violence."

He added, that on the same day that funeral services were scheduled to be held for Walthrust, "It is our profound hope that this arrest may give some sense of justice to the victim's family."

Written by Alfred Branch