Rashid Ali Bynum was arrested in Virginia on suspicion of killing Councilwoman Eunice Dwumfour in New Jersey on February 1.
Bynum, 28, was charged with murder and unlawful possession of a firearm, among other charges, Middlesex County District Attorney Yolanda Ciccone said at a news conference, reported CNN. He was arrested on the outskirts of Chesapeake City (Virginia) yesterday morning, almost four months after the crime. The motive for the shooting is not clear.
Dwumfour (30) was found shot to death in her car outside her home in Sayreville (NY). The vehicle traveled about 100 feet before colliding with two parked cars because the victim lost control of the steering wheel after being shot. Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy said the next day that the shooting felt “very specific” against the councilwoman, but that it did not appear to be politically motivated.
Authorities traced Bynum’s cell phone from near the scene of the shooting and back to Virginia. On the day of the crime, the suspect had searched the Internet for details related to the Dwumfour church, prosecutor Ciccone said.
Bynum is awaiting extradition from Virginia to New Jersey to face charges, but prosecutors did not provide a timeline for the proceedings.
In addition to her newfound role in politics, the young councilwoman was working from New Jersey for a Nigeria-based religious group, was an analyst for a nonprofit community assistance group, and was a part-time EMT. At the time of her death she was “looking for a job”, according to her LinkedIn page which she has since been deactivated.
Dwumfour was elected to the City Council last year and was a member of the Sayreville Human Rights Board. She was the first African-American person elected to office in Sayreville, she noted The New York Times. She was a native of Newark (NJ) and still has family living there. She had a daughter from a previous relationship and had recently married a pastor who lives in Nigeria.
All charges are mere accusations and those charged are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.
Just days after Dwumfour’s murder, another Republican councilman was shot to death in New Jersey in an apparent murder-suicide case.
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