Arrest made in killing of New Jersey Councilwoman Eunice Dwumfour
A man has been arrested in connection to the February shooting death of Sayreville Councilwoman Eunice Dwumfour, officials said Tuesday.
SAYREVILLE, N.J. (WPIX) — A man has been arrested in connection to the February shooting death of Sayreville Councilwoman Eunice Dwumfour, officials said Tuesday.
Rashid Ali Bynum, 28, was arrested Tuesday morning and charged with first-degree murder, second-degree unlawful possession of a handgun, and second-degree possession of a handgun for an unlawful purpose, according to the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office.
Bynum, who is from Virginia, was taken into custody without incident outside a residence in Chesapeake City, authorities said. He is awaiting extradition from Virginia to New Jersey.
Dwumfour, 30, was found with multiple gunshot wounds inside her vehicle outside her home in a townhouse complex in Sayreville, New Jersey, on the evening of Feb. 1, according to authorities.
Investigators linked Bynum to Dwumfour's killing using surveillance video, witness reports, cellphone data, internet searches and toll records, among other pieces of evidence, officials said.
Bynum's contact was stored in Dwumfour's cellphone with the acronym "FCF," which is believed to stand for Fire Congress Fellowship, a church Dwumfour had previously been affiliated with, according to Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone.
The extent of their connection remains unclear. Prosecutors also didn't provide a possible motive for the killing of Dwumfour.
"This was a very complex, extensive case with painstaking police work," Ciccone said. "The murder has shaken the community. No arrest will bring back the late councilwoman. However, I do trust that justice will be found through the criminal justice process."
Dwumfour had been elected to a three-year term to the Sayreville council in 2021. She was a mother and a soft-spoken devout Christian, according to those who knew her.
Dwumfour's father, sister and pastor attended the press conference Tuesday, where the arrest and charges against Bynum were announced. New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin addressed Dwumfour's family at the press conference.
"There are no words that can be said to you that can make you whole. I know this," Platkin said. "I know too often when we’re talking about victims of gun violence — senseless acts of gun violence — we feel the pain that you all feel today."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.