WABC reported that police say they believe Dwumfour was the intended target of the shooting, but don't have a motive to release yet.
A homicide investigation is underway, according to the prosecutor's office. Authorities have not arrested anyone for the shooting or released the names of any suspects.
A former colleague, Mahesh Chitnis, wrote on Facebook that Dwumfour was killed while returning home.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said in a statement Thursday that he was stunned by "the news of Sayreville Councilwoman Eunice Dwumfour's murder last evening in an act of gun violence." As per a LinkedIn page with her name, she worked as certificated business analyst and scrum master for Fire Congress Fellowship. She started this role in December 2016.
The page also reveals Eunice was a director of churches at the Nigerian-based Champions Royal Assembly, where she had served since May 2015.
She worked as a business analyst for Telesis HQ between 2015 and 2016 and held a similar role at Marriott Hotel from October 2014 until October 2015.
Eunice is a graduate of William Paterson University of New Jersey, where she earned a BA in women’s studies (2011-2017).
Taking to their official Facebook page, detective Juan Rodriguez and pastor Dr Nelia Rodriguez paid a poignant tribute to the late councilwoman.
In the tribute, they wrote they were “heartbroken” to announce “our personal friend” had died, writing “she was an amazing friend, a woman who loved God.”
The tribute continued: “We were just at our HRC meeting January 5, 2023 and I just saw her this morning at the store. I remember saying to her I’ll see you at the HRC meeting tomorrow not knowing tonight was going to be the end of her life.
“It is a sad and frightening day when such a brazen act of violence happens right outside the door to your home,” Coughlin, state Sen. Joe Vitale, and state Sen. Yvonne Lopez, all D-MIddlesex, said. “We join countless others in offering our deepest condolences to Eunice’s family and friends.”
“Eunice was deeply committed to her church, the Borough of Sayreville and to the people she proudly served as a community leader,” they added. “Her death at such a young age is a tragedy; we can only pray the perpetrator is quickly apprehended so her family can begin the long healing process.”
Chairman Bob Hugin said the New Jersey Republican Party expresses “horror and deepest sorrow at the senseless violence” that killed Dwumfour, a Republican who was elected to the council in 2021.
U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., called the killing “tragic” and said it was “shocking and horrifying.”
“Her death is a terrible loss not just to her family, friends, and colleagues, but to the Sayreville community and our state,” Booker said. “My heart goes out to her loved ones and the entire Sayreville community in their time of pain.”
Dwumfour was found shot multiple times at around 7:20 p.m. Wednesday, officials said.
The investigation is ongoing and no arrests have been made. Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Rebecca Morales of the Sayreville Police Department at 732-727-4444 or Detective Michelle Coppola of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office at 732-745-3477.
Investigators are treating the death as a homicide.
Authorities received a phone call at around 7:22 p.m. on Wednesday reporting that shots had been fired in the area of Samuel Circle in Sayreville, New Jersey, according to the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office.
Sayreville police responding to the scene found Dwumfour in her car, having “sustained multiple gunshots wound,” the prosecutor’s office said in a press release.
“Dwumfour had succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced on scene,” the press release said. Like you, Sayreville is my home, I love and cherish this town and it is my desire to help improve the lives of its residents,” her campaign profile said, according to the Sayreville GOP website. “In the past few years, we have seen many changes including a worldwide pandemic, but despite all, Sayreville still stands strong because of residents like you. Please continue to build up Sayreville by supporting me in this upcoming election on November 2nd, 2021. I am fully dedicated to building a better, stronger Sayreville, and with your support, we can create a brighter future for our wonderful town.”
Kilpatrick described Dwumfour as a “woman of deep faith” who “worked hard to integrate her strong Christian beliefs into her daily life as a person and community leader.” She added that she couldn’t find words to describe the sorrow she feels at losing her friend.
In a statement, Sayreville police said that Dwumfour was the public safety liaison for the council.
“Councilwoman Dwumfour was a valued partner of the police department and dedicated to serving the Sayreville community,” the statement says. “Our thoughts and prayers are with her family at this time.”
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