Republican Sayreville councilwoman was shot dead outside her home

Republican Sayreville councilwoman Eunice Dwumfourwoman Eunice Dwumfour was fatally shot outside her home in New Jersey on Wednesday night in what police say was a targeted attack.

Police responded to a 911 call reporting gunshots fired outside an apartment complex, according to the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office.

When officers arrived, they found Dwumfour, 30, unresponsive with multiple gunshot wounds inside her Nissan SUV, which was parked just outside the townhouse on Samuel Circle just before 7:30 p.m.

Police believe the victim was the intended target of the shooting, but do not have a clear motive.

Authorities said the woman was pronounced dead at the scene.

Witnesses saw a person they believed to be the gunman running toward the Garden State Parkway, which is not far from the scene of the shooting.

No other details were given on possible identifying details or a weapon.

An IT professional by trade, Dwumfour won an upset victory for her council seat in 2021. According to her LinkedIn profile, Dwumfour was also director of churches for an international ministry, Champions Royal Assembly.

Dwumfour graduated from William Paterson University with a bachelor’s degree in women’s studies in 2017, according to her LinkedIn profile. She also served as a professional scrum master at Parlin-based nonprofit Fire Congress Fellowship and was the director of churches for a Nigeria-based megachurch.

Sayreville Mayor Victoria Kilpatrick said in a statement that the community was “shocked and saddened at the loss of Eunice Dwumfour,” describing her death as “a despicable criminal act.”

“Eunice was a dedicated member of our Borough Council who was truly committed to serve all of our residents,” Kilpatrick said. “The fact that she was taken from us by a despicable criminal act makes this incident all the more horrifying.”

“As Mayor I have worked very closely with Eunice in her time on the Borough Council,” Kilpatrick said. “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 in to her daily life as a person and a community leader. On a personal note, I can’t adequately express my feeling of sorrow at the loss of a friend.”

Mahesh Chitnis — a neighbor in the Camelot at La Mer apartment complex, who also served on the Sayreville Human Relations Commission with the victim — posted on Facebook that Dwumfour was killed “while returning back home” Wednesday night.

“I am shocked, scared and heartbroken,” he wrote. “Eunice Dwumfour, fellow Human Relations Commissioner (former), Sayreville councilwoman and a neighbor was killed 300 feet from my home this evening. She was shot while returning back home. She was a woman full of life. When she missed HRC meeting she used to ask me to put her on speaker phone so that she could participate. I was looking forward to meeting her tomorrow in our monthly meeting. We will miss her…”

No arrests have been announced as of Thursday morning. Local police and the Middlesex County Prosecutor are urging the public to contact investigators with any information.

Anyone with information — and especially surveillance video from the area — is urged to contact Detective Rebecca Morales of the Sayreville Police Department at (732) 727-4444 or Detective Michelle Coppola of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office (732) 745-3477.