Categories: U.S.

Murdered New Jersey Republican’s mother ‘fine’ after arrest at bail hearing for daughter’s suspected killer

close Video

911 emergency calls from the murder of New Jersey Councilwoman Eunice Dwumfour

Two 911 emergency calls from people who heard the shots fired during the murder of New Jersey Councilwoman Eunice Dwumfour.

The mother of a New Jersey councilwoman who was gunned down in her car outside her Sayreville townhouse in February was arrested in court Monday after a judge denied bail for the suspected killer.

Rashid Ali Bynum, a 29-year-old Virginia man, is accused of driving to New Jersey in a rental car and killing Eunice Dwumfour, 30, in the parking lot outside her home as her 12-year-old daughter was inside. 

The case rattled Dwumfour’s colleagues, family and friends as police spent months tracking down a suspect who they now say lived more than 300 miles away.

EUNICE DWUMFOUR MURDER: NEW JERSEY POLICE ARREST MAN MONTHS AFTER SLAYING OF REPUBLICAN COUNCILWOMAN

This undated photo provided by the Sayreville, New Jersey, Borough Council shows Sayreville Councilwoman Eunice Dwumfour. New Jersey prosecutors said Tuesday, May 30, 2023, that they arrested a Virginia man on murder and gun charges in the February death of the local councilwoman, who was found fatally shot in her SUV outside her home. (Sayreville Borough Council via AP)

Prosecutors allege Bynum is the man who approached Dwumfour’s car on Feb. 1 and shot her multiple times through the driver’s side window before running off into the darkness.

However, after a Middlesex County judge denied him bail Monday, the victim’s mother allegedly got into a scuffle and wound up handcuffed and escorted out of the courtroom, according to NJ.com. 

He had briefly been recruited by the victim to her Bible study, the Fire Congress Fellowship, but they had a falling out for reasons that have not been made public.

Rashid Ali Bynum has been arrested in connection with the February shooting of New Jersey Republican Councilwoman Eunice Dwumfour in Sayreville, New Jersey. His number was in her phone in affiliation with her former church, according to prosecutors. (Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office)

The two met in Virginia, and when Dwumfour moved back to New Jersey, Bynum went there too for a while, according to prosecutors. At some point, Bynum left the church and returned to his home state.

“I don’t really know what happened,” Eze Kings, Eunice Dwumfour’s husband, told Fox News Digital. Monday was the first time he had seen the suspect in person, he said.

He is hoping for justice, and his mother-in-law, Mary Dwumfour, “is fine” after the scuffle, he added. 

NJ COUNCILWOMAN SHOOTING 911 CALLS REVEAL EYEWITNESS ACCOUNT OF MALE SUSPECT WEARING BLACK, FLEEING ON FOOT

His late wife was a former EMT and pastor who won an upset victory over an incumbent Democrat in the Sayreville Borough Council. The couple had just married months before the murder. They met abroad through their church, and Kings lives in Nigeria, where he was at the time of the slaying.

Photo obtained by Fox News Digital shows aftermath of the shooting involving New Jersey Councilwoman Eunice Dwumfour. (Obtained by Fox News Digital)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Bynum was arrested at his home in Chesapeake City, Virginia, in May. Police found Bynum’s number saved in Dwumfour’s phone with the letters FCF, an acronym for the Fire Congress Fellowship, Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone said at the time.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Michael Ruiz is a reporter for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to michael.ruiz@fox.com and on Twitter: @mikerreports

Share

Recent Posts

IAEA director says Iran’s enriched uranium can’t be located following US military strikes

close Video IAEA director: Iran's nuclear program has been set back 'significantly' International Atomic Energy…

11 hours ago

UN chief praises Trump for Iran-Israel ceasefire days after condemning US strikes

close Video Trump says ceasefire is in effect with Israel, Iran despite prior attacks Fox…

18 hours ago

Exiled prince warns Iranian military of ‘final chance’ to stand up to the regime

close Video Fox News Flash top headlines for June 24 Fox News Flash top headlines…

20 hours ago

Iran-Israel ceasefire teeters as IDF accuses Tehran of violations

close Video Trump expresses exasperation with Israel, Iran as violence continues President Donald Trump spoke…

23 hours ago

Trump brokers Iran ceasefire as experts say regime’s arsenal is shattered but threat remains

close Video Trump's reshaped the future of the Middle East and the world, says Sean…

1 day ago

US strike damage to Iran’s Natanz, Isfahan nuclear facilities captured in satellite images

close Video US targets Iran's nuclear site Fordow with 'bunker buster' bombs Retired Lt. Gen.…

1 day ago