A New Jersey community is shaken up after one of its councilwomen was found brutally murdered just outside of her own home.
Eunice Dwumfour, 30, a Black Republican, was the victim of a barrage of gunshots that struck her car with her inside. Police believe the shooting was a targeted attack.
“This really not sitting right with me. I just saw her, and that big smile is all I could think about. Prayers to her family. I’m so sorry this happened to you,” Newark, New Jersey, resident Anyiah Battle said on Facebook.
Just before 7:22 p.m. on Feb. 1 in Sayreville, New Jersey, a 911 caller reported hearing gunshots outside an apartment complex. Sayreville police say when they arrived on scene they found Dwumfour with multiple gunshot wounds in her white Nissan SUV. She was pronounced dead at the scene, where she had been returning to her townhome apartment.
Police told WABC they believe Dwumfour was the “intended target of the shooting,” but the motive is unknown at this time.
Black conservative commentator Greg Foreman questioned if the shooting was politically motivated in a video blog, although he also emphasized the motive behind the attack currently is unknown.
Joshua Rodriguez shared video of the crime scene on Facebook showing several police and emergency responders. The bullet-riddled SUV can be seen hoisted on a flatbed truck.
People living in the area told RLS Media, “the shooter was observed running toward the Garden State Parkway, which is near the shooting scene.” Dwumfour also was known to walk a dog in the neighborhood.
Dwumfour was a mother of a 10-year-old daughter and a Sayreville, New Jersey, borough councilwoman. She was elected in November 2021, beating out Democrats Kevin Dalina and Damon Enriquez with 5,548 total votes in an unexpected election victory.
Dwumfour won alongside her brother Christian Onuoha who is also a Black Republican according to Gothamist. Their victories shocked many political insiders reports show. Both of the Black Republican newcomers’ terms were not up until December 2024.
Prior to joining the council, Dwumford focused on diversity and bias incidents in town while working on the Human Relations Commission.
Sayreville is 25 miles south of Newark, New Jersey, with a population of roughly 45,000, census data shows. Sayreville’s Black population is 12 percent, 59 percent of the community identifies as white, 18 percent is Hispanic, and 17 percent is Asian.
Dwumfour graduated from William Patterson University with a bachelor’s degree in women’s studies in 2017 according to her LinkedIn profile.
In addition to her council duties, Dwumfour was also a business analyst, IT professional and a part-time EMT worker, according to reports. She also preached for a Nigerian-based church group.
Condolences poured in just hours after word spread of the 30-year-old’s death.
“As the Public Safety Liaison, Councilwoman Dwumfour was a valued partner of the police department and dedicated to serving the Sayreville community,” Sayreville Police Chief Daniel Plumacker said in a statement.
“I am stunned by the news of Sayreville Councilwoman Eunice Dwumfour’s 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,” New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said in a statement posted to Twitter.
“The fact that she was taken from us by a despicable criminal act makes this incident all the more horrifying,” Sayreville Mayor Victoria Kilpatrick said.
“Borough Council. Beyond her dedication to our community, I can share that she was a woman of deep faith and worked hard to integrate her strong Christian beliefs into her daily life as a person and a community leader,” Kilpatrick continued.
The Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office confirmed to Atlanta Black Star it is investigating the shooting as a homicide. Police are also still searching for the shooter.
We will continue to update this story as it develops.
