A newlywed New Jersey Republican councilwoman who was ‘shot in the face’ while driving her SUV home was seen ‘speaking to a man’ before the shooting.
Eunice Dwumfour, 30, was killed outside of her home in Sayreville, New Jersey on Wednesday night, with friends calling it a ‘targeted and personal attack’.
She crashed her SUV and was slumped over the wheel after the attack, with horrified neighbors hearing multiple gunshots and then a crash.
Friends initially claimed that she was shot seven times in the face, and law enforcement sources say she was shot as many as 14 times in total.
Some neighbors also told the station they had seen Dwumfour speaking to a man outside her car on security footage just before the shooting.
FBI agents are now investigating after Sayreville, New Jersey Republican councilwoman Eunice Dwumfour was shot in the face seven times while driving her SUV home
Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office and Sayreville Police are leading the investigation, with the FBI also now also involved in the probe.
Officers are appealing for anyone with new information to come forward, including surveillance which may help them track down the man she was seen speaking to.
Dwumfour married a pastor who lives in Nigeria, just before Thanksgiving, and lived in the apartment with her 12-year-old daughter from a previous relationship.
Pictures from her wedding day show how happy the mother-of-one was, grinning next to her new husband Eze Kings.
Kings posted on Facebook about the loss of his bride after the shooting by wishing her a happy birthday in advance.
He wrote on Friday: ‘4th March is your birthday happy glorious birthday in addy my love.’ ‘Addy’ is Nigerian slang for the word advance
He accompanied the post with several photos of the couple’s wedding, which Dwumfour had celebrated in an Instagram post on December 7, where they celebrated being ‘Officially Mrs. Kings.’
Just five days ago, Kings wrote in a Facebook post: ‘LIFE START AFTER MARRIAGE.’
Dwumfour’s husband, Eze Kings (pictured right), has posted on Facebook about the loss of his new bride
Kings wrote Friday: ‘4th March is your birthday happy glorious birthday in addy my love.’ ‘Addy’ is Nigerian slang for the word advance
He accompanied the post with several photos of the couple’s wedding, which Dwumfour had celebrated in an Instagram post on December 7
Dwumfour had celebrated by writing that she was ‘Officially Mrs. Kings’ last year before the shooting
Alexandra Bryan, a neighbor who lives close to where the shooting happened, told the New York Times she heard what she thought were fireworks twice just after 7 p.m. Wednesday.
‘Two times, right after one another’, she said. ‘Like five seconds apart.
‘It’s a really nice complex,’ Bryan added. ‘Children are able to play around without parents. It’s always quiet. That’s why it’s such a shock to everybody.’
Dwumfour was found inside her white Nissan SUV with multiple gunshot wounds on Samuel Circle just before 7.30pm.
Friend and pastor Nelia Rodriguez told The Ingraham Angle she believes the incident was a ‘personal attack’.
She added: ‘We believe it [was] very personal because she was shot seven times in the face and another seven shots were hitting everywhere else.
‘So for somebody to get so close to somebody and shoot them so many times, it has to be personal.’
The Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office said the investigation into Dwumfour’s death is ongoing and officials have not released a motive or any information about a suspect.
There have been no arrests in the case, with officials seen searching a wooded area near her home after witnesses claimed they saw a man run off in that direction after the shooting.
Police received a tip that the murder weapon had been dumped in the area, so brought in police dogs to search.
A friend told DailyMail.com that she and her family had just returned from Nigeria on a church trip – describing her as ‘bubbly and nice’
Police received a tip that the murder weapon had been dumped in the area, so brought in police dogs to search the area
Dwumfour ousted the sitting Democrat in the Borough of Sayreville in November 2021, in a shock election win, and was not up for reelection until 2024.
A friend told DailyMail.com that she and her family had just returned from Nigeria on a church trip – describing her as ‘bubbly and nice’.
Family members told USA Today that she lived at the property with her 12-year-old daughter from a previous relationship.
Her sister Priscilla said: ‘She was always happy, very humble and had respect.’
Friends of the councilwoman paid tribute to her as an ‘amazing friend’ who ‘loved god’.
Detective Juan Rodriguez and Pastor Doctor Nelia Rodriguez posted online saying: ‘I just saw her this morning at the store.
Friend and Pastor Nelia Rodriguez told The Ingraham Angle that she believes the incident was a ‘personal attack’
She married a pastor who lives in Nigeria, just before Thanksgiving, and lived in the apartment with her 12-year-old daughter from a previous relationship
She crashed her SUV and was slumped over the wheel, with horrified neighbors hearing multiple gunshots and then a crash
‘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.
‘I can’t stop crying. She was 30 years young and full of life. You will be missed my dear, precious friend.’
Dwumfour was a Certified Business Analyst and Scrum Professional for Fire Congress Fellowship inc. and a part-time EMT.
She graduated from William Paterson University and served as a Director of Churches for the Nigerian-based Champions Royal Assembly.
In a statement Sayreville Mayor Victoria Kilpatrick said: ‘The community is shocked and saddened at the loss of Eunice Dwumfour, who was a dedicated member of our Borough Council who was truly committed to serve all of our residents.
‘The fact that she was taken from us by a despicable criminal act makes this incident all the more horrifying.’
Dwumfour was a Certified Business Analyst and Scrum Professional for Fire Congress Fellowship inc. and a part-time EMT
The windscreen of her car was covered as emergency services raced to the scene of the shooting at 7.22pm
Her white SUV was seen being removed from the scene by authorities in the early hours of the morning
According to friends, the mother-of-one was shot seven times in the face and seven times in the body
The mayor said she believes that law enforcement ‘will bring this fast-moving investigation to a quick and successful conclusion and look forward to the identification, arrest, and successful prosecution of the person responsible.’
Sayreville Republican Chair Karen Bailey Bebert added: ‘We remember Eunice for how she lived, not for how she died.
‘She was the embodiment of Sayreville, living the American Dream, overcoming challenges with grit and a smile.
‘And always giving of time and love to others. She embodied Sayreville and will be terribly missed by all who were fortunate enough to know her.’
Governor of New Jersey Phil Murphy added that he was ‘stunned’ by her murder and branded it an ‘act of gun violence’.
He told WNYC there was ‘little known’ about the motivation for the incident which ‘does not appear to be related to her potion as an elected councilwoman in Sayreville.’
