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New Jersey councilmember fatally shot Wednesday night
By
Matt Katz
,
David Brand
,
Nancy Solomon
and
Bahar Ostadan
Published Feb 2, 2023
Modified Feb 2, 2023
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By
Matt Katz
,
David Brand
,
Nancy Solomon
and
Bahar Ostadan
Published Feb 2, 2023
Modified Feb 2, 2023
Share
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Authorities investigating the fatal shooting of a New Jersey politician near her home have said little about why the member of the Sayreville Borough Council may have been targeted.
Officials confirmed early Thursday that Eunice Dwumfour, 30, was found dead inside her car around 7:30 p.m. the previous night, but have not said if they have identified any suspects or a possible motive behind the killing.
Sayreville police repeatedly referred questions to the Middlesex County prosecutor's office, which often takes the lead on major crime investigations. The prosecutor's office provided no updates after acknowledging Dwumfour's death. Authorities have confirmed Dwumfour’s death is being investigated as a homicide.
A Gothamist reporter saw police searching for evidence in a wooded area near Dwumfour's home early Thursday afternoon. Several neighbors said they heard shots just before Dwumfour’s vehicle slammed into parked cars.
The Republican was elected to the Sayreville Borough Council in 2021 after a close race that she ran alongside her close friend, Christian Onuoha. The two defeated a pair of Democratic incumbents.
What we know so far
- New Jersey Councilmember Eunice Dwumfour was found shot and killed on Wednesday night.
- At 7:22 p.m. Wednesday night, police responded to a report of shots fired near Samuel Circle in Sayreville and found Dwumfour in her vehicle. She had been shot several times.
- Dwumfour was a 30-year-old Republican member of the borough's council since 2022.
Pastor Nelia Rodriguez, a chaplain for the Sayreville police department who also served on the Human Relations Commission with Dwumfour, said she ran into the councilwoman at a store hours before her death.
“She would never say no to you,” Rodriguez said. “She was such a beautiful person, such a woman of faith.”
Chyann Brown and other neighbors said they heard loud shots fired in rapid succession on Wednesday night.
Dwumfour and her family never created problems for the community, Brown said.
“She was nice. She spoke every time we saw her,” she said. “We’ve never seen anything bad with her. She was never problematic, never noisy.”
Neighbors who spoke to Gothamist said Dwumfour’s vehicle crashed into parked sedans just after they heard shots. Traci Lynn Sands, another neighbor who did not know Dwumfour, said she heard the gunshots and saw the crash. “It was shocking and terrible,” she said.
Neighbors living near Sayreville Councilwoman Eunice Dwumfour say her vehicle crashed into these parked cars after they heard what sounded like gunshots.
Matt Katz/Gothamist
Mahesh Chitnis, another member of the Human Relations Commission, said on Facebook that the shooting happened 300 feet from his home.
“She was a woman full of life. … When a fellow commissioner messaged me, I couldn't believe that this can happen in my town,” Chitnis wrote.
Gov. Phil Murphy, in a statement issued Thursday morning, described Dwumfour’s death as a “murder last evening in an act of gun violence.”
“Her career of public service was just beginning, and by all accounts she had already built a reputation as a committed member of the borough council who took her responsibility with the utmost diligence and seriousness,” he said in the statement.
“The tragic killing of Sayreville Councilwoman Eunice Dwumfour in a shooting last night is shocking and horrifying,” U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, who represents New Jersey, said in a statement Thursday. “Her death is a terrible loss not just to her family, friends, and colleagues, but to the Sayreville community and our state. My heart goes out to her loved ones and the entire Sayreville community in their time of pain.”
The state GOP expressed its members’ “horror and deepest sorrow” in a statement Thursday.
“We will remember Eunice for her steadfast dedication to the community, as well as her deep and abiding Christian faith,” Bob Hugin, chair of the New Jersey Republican State Committee, said. “We have the utmost confidence that law enforcement will bring the perpetrators of this heartbreaking tragedy to justice.”
Former Assemblyman and State Democratic Party Chair John Wisniewski, a Sayreville native, said Dwumfour was driven by her faith, which she referenced often on the Council floor. He said her “shocking” death has reverberated through the town.
“She’s a young woman and has a family,” he said. “When someone’s life is deliberately taken in what seems to be an attack it really sends shockwaves through the community about how something like this could happen.”
The New Jersey Senate dedicated a moment of silence to Dwumfour at the beginning of session Thursday.
Sayreville, a town of roughly 45,000 people, is located across the Raritan Bay from Staten Island and about 70 miles northeast from Philadelphia.
A previous version of this story misspelled Chyann Brown's first name.
Staff writers Kerry Shaw, Verónica del Valle, Louis Hochman and Audrey Cooper contributed to this report.
Tagged
public safety
new jersey
Politics
Matt Katz
Matt Katz is a former WNYC & Gothamist reporter.
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David Brand
David is a reporter covering housing for Gothamist and WNYC. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or Signal 908-310-3960.
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Nancy Solomon
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Bahar Ostadan
Bahar Ostadan covers the NYPD and public safety. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or message Bahar on Signal at 646-740-7335.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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