In a shocking story out of New Jersey, Republican Sayreville Councilwoman Eunice Dwumfour, 30, was shot and killed in her vehicle outside her home on Wednesday, as Fox News reports.

According to the outlet, a 911 call was made at around 7:22 reporting gunfire in the vicinity of Dwumfour's Middlesex County residence, and responding officers subsequently found the local official dead inside her car as the result of multiple bullet wounds.

Harrowing scene

The New York Post reported that Dwumfour had been driving her white Nissan in the area near the Camelot at La Mer apartments, and that is when the vehicle crashed into two parked cars.

The owner of one of the vehicles hit by Dwumfour's Nissan spoke to the outlet about the horrifying events, saying, “It took a second before I realized there was a dead body behind the wheel.”

“There was one bullet hole in the passenger door and a bunch of bullet holes in the driver door,” the witness added. “Some other neighbors said they saw someone running away with a mask on.”

Though no suspects in the killing have yet been named, police later revealed to the Post that the victim was seen on video footage talking to the assailant just prior to her death.

Probe widens

According to WABC in New York, the probe into Dwumfour's death is expanding, and investigators are now seeking insights into various aspects of the councilwoman's life in efforts to track down her murderer.

The outlet reported that in addition to the Sayreville Police Department and the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office, the FBI is now “involved” in the case.

A statement from the FBI noted, “We are aware of the investigation into the death of Councilwoman Dwumfour in Sayreville Wednesday evening. We have talked with our local law enforcement partners at the Sayreville Police Department and the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office. Should they ask us for any assistance, we will do all we can to help their investigation.”

The local prosecutor's office described the investigation as “active and ongoing” and asked anyone with information on Wednesday's events or surveillance footage of the area to contact authorities as soon as possible.

Newly-married mother of one

Following the shocking scene that unfolded in Sayreville, details began to emerge about the woman whose life was taken so abruptly earlier in the week.

As the Post noted, Dwumfour's relatives revealed that the councilwoman was the oldest of five children from a Ghanian family as well as the mother of an 11-year-old girl.

Dwumfour was reportedly elected to her first term on the Borough Council in Sayreville in November 2021, and a cousin of the victim indicated on Thursday that this past fall, the local official married a pastor working in Nigeria.

Characterized as “down-to-earth, very collected, laid back,” Dwumfour was said to have relocated to Sayreville away from her family in Newark to provide “a better life for her daughter” and had previously worked as a volunteer EMT and a CPR instructor.

Colleagues mourn loss

In the wake of Dwumfour's untimely death, those who knew her professionally offered effusive tributes for the councilwoman, with Sayreville Mayor Victoria Kilpatrick lauding her as “a woman of deep faith” who “worked hard to integrate her strong Christian beliefs into her daily life as a person and a community leader.”

State GOP committee chair Bob Hugin issued a statement that began, “On behalf of the New Jersey Republican State Committee, I would like to express our horror and deepest sorrow at the senseless violence that claimed the life of Sayreville Councilwoman Eunice Dwumfour.”

“We will remember Eunice for her steadfast dedication to the community, as well as her deep and abiding Christian faith,” Hugin added.

Former Sayreville GOP chair Arthur Rittenhouse said that Dwumfour was “very well-liked by anybody who spoke to her or had any dealings with her, so this was really a shocking event,” echoing the sentiments of many who are hoping that the perpetrator responsible for this crime is brought to justice.