A homicide investigation is underway after a central New Jersey borough councilwoman was found fatally shot in her car Wednesday evening, local authorities said.
Eunice K. Dwumfour, 30, was found shot multiple times by authorities responding to a 911 call about gunfire in a Sayreville neighborhood around 7:22 p.m. She was pronounced dead at the scene, the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement Thursday morning.
The Sayreville Borough councilwoman, a Republican, had been serving a term from 2022 to 2024, according to the council’s website. Police referred questions to the prosecutor’s office, which declined comment to HuffPost Thursday morning, reasoning that the investigation is active and ongoing.
A man identifying himself as Dwumfour’s neighbor said she was killed while returning home from work.
“I am shocked, scared and heartbroken,” Mahesh Chitnis posted on Facebook. “She was a woman full of life.”
Sayreville Mayor Victoria Kilpatrick said the entire community is “shocked and saddened” by her death.
“The fact that she was taken from us by a despicable criminal act makes this incident all the more horrifying,” she said in a statement.
“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,” she added. “On a personal note, I can’t adequately express my feelings of sorrow at the loss of a friend.”
“Her career of public service was just beginning,” said New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy in his own statement, “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.”
Local authorities have urged anyone with information to contact police or the county prosecutor’s office.
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