New Jersey prosecutors announce murder charge against Virginia man in fatal shooting of councilwoman

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. (AP) — A Virginia man was arrested Tuesday on murder and gun charges in the February killing of a local councilwoman who was found fatally shot in her SUV outside her home, New Jersey prosecutors said.

Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Cicconne said 28-year-old Rashid Ali Bynum, of Portsmouth, Virginia, was arrested on first-degree murder and two second-degree handgun charges in the death of Sayreville Councilwoman Eunice Dwumfour.

Ciccone said the investigation is still underway and didn’t directly address a motive in Dwumfour’s death. She said Bynum was linked to a church that Dwumfour belonged to.

Bynum is awaiting extradition to New Jersey, Ciccone said. It’s unclear if he has an attorney who can speak on his behalf.

Dwumfour, a Republican, was elected to her first three-year term in 2021, when she ousted a Democratic incumbent. Colleagues recalled her as a soft-spoken devout Christian who could maintain her composure in contentious situations.

Her death on Feb. 1 made headlines since there was no immediate word of a shooter and sent the community reeling.

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