Staff Reports
New Jersey Republican councilwoman Eunice Dwumfour was a victim to a “despicable criminal act” that left her dead in her vehicle, from several gunshot wounds, four months ago. The entire community was shocked with what happened to such a young and promising public servant, but the suspect has finally been caught. Rashid Ali Bynum, 28, was arrested outside his home in Chesapeake City, Virginia, on Tuesday, and has been charged with first-degree murder and additional gun charges, according to Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone.
A Suspect Has Finally Been Arrested in Slaying of NJ Republican Councilwoman https://t.co/Y6dBDnC8kk
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) May 31, 2023
While Ciccone acknowledged that “no arrest will bring back the late councilwoman,” she said, “I do trust that justice will be found through the criminal justice process.” Bynum will be held in the Middlesex County Adult Correctional facility until a pre-trial detention hearing, and will later be extradited to New Jersey.
NEW: 28-year old Rashid Ali Bynum has been arrested in connection with February's fatal shooting of New Jersey Republican Councilwoman Eunice Dwumfour.
Bynum has been charged with first-degree murder, second-degree unlawful possession of a handgun and second-degree possession… pic.twitter.com/V7iW0YX3xr
— Rachel Acenas (@RachelAcenas) May 30, 2023
Authorities discovered that the two seemed to know each other, finding the suspect’s phone number in Dwumfour’s phone. “FCF is believed to be an acronym for the Fire Congress Fellowship,” the prosecutor said. “A search of the victim’s phone revealed Bynum as a contact in Eunice Dwumfour’s phone. The Fire Congress Fellowship, a church the victim was previously affiliated with, is also associated with the Champion Royal Assembly, the victim’s church at the time of her death.”
It has been reported that Bynum searched online for information about Dwumfour’s church, where she lived, and what kind of ammunition to use with a certain gun, but no specific motive has been revealed.
The family of Eunice Dwumfour has expressed their relief that someone was held accountable, but they still struggle with the “why.” The community has also been hit hard by the murder of a young public servant. As Attorney General Matthew Platkin said, “there are no words that can be said to make [the family] whole.” Eunice Dwumfour may be gone, but her memory will live on as a public servant who was taken too soon.
