A Republican borough councilwoman in Sayreville, N.J., was shot and killed Wednesday in what police said was likely a targeted attack.
Eunice Dwumfour, elected to the Sayreville council in 2021, was shot by an unidentified assailant Wednesday night while she was in her car outside her home. Police said they believe Dwumfour was the intended target of the gunman, ABC7 reported, but they did not identify a motive in the attack.
Local residents told RLS Media the shooter was seen running from the crime scene toward the nearby Garden State Parkway.
Gov. Phil Murphy (D.) expressed shock at Dwumfour's killing, and Sayreville mayor Victoria Kilpatrick praised Dwumfour as a "dedicated member of our borough council."
The murder comes as Democrats, including President Joe Biden, have accused Republicans of fomenting a climate of political violence against their opponents. While Democratic lawmakers have received death threats, and Rep. Nancy Pelosi's (D., Calif.) husband was attacked by a man who sought to kidnap the Democrat, numerous conservatives have faced violent threats as well.
A gunman seeking to kill Justice Brett Kavanaugh was arrested outside the justice's home in June. In October, a shot was fired into the family home of a North Carolina Republican candidate. And in September, a North Dakota man who ran over a teenager with his car, killing the teen, told police he did so because he thought his victim was "part of a Republican extremist group."