The man charged in Stamford's first murder of the year was arraigned Monday as the victim's family looked on.

Rashad Sellers, 27, is accused of a deadly shooting in the city's South End that left a New York man dead last month.

Stephon Walthrust's mother, father and cousin made the trip to Stamford from Queens. They were joined in the courtroom by members of the Stamford Police Department. The family thanked the officers for making an arrest in this case so quickly.

Rashad Sellers went before a judge Monday. Sellers' arrest warrant says he owed Walthrust $2,000 and was supposed to be meeting him to pay up the night of March 30.

Instead, police say Sellers shot Walthrust multiple times as Walthrust sat in his car on Garden Street.

"You're always going to ask, 'Why, why, why was it my child?'" says Walthrust's father Carlton. "But you have to pray and keep your faith."

MORE: Police arrest suspect in Stamford's 1st homicide of 2019 

Court documents show police were able to identify Sellers after sending out images from nearby surveillance cameras to other law enforcement agencies in the state.

They took Sellers into custody last Friday, as Sellers made his daily stop at a deli off I-95 in Norwalk.

After court, Walthrust's father said his son's murder wasn't just a tragedy for his loved ones but for the suspect's as well.

"If he has family, I feel for them too because it's a loss again," Carlton Walthrust said. "These young people are kind of out of control and they don't understand what it is to work hard, long and struggle to get where you are. Everybody wants gratification right away and get into these criminal activities because they want to make fast money."

Carlton Walthrust told News 12 his message to parents is to keep an eye on their children.

Police say Sellers is from West Haven and recently moved to Bridgeport.

Sellers has previous convictions on weapons and drug charges. The judge kept his bond at a $1 million.