Man thinks he saw person who killed Sayreville councilwoman: ‘He was going over the fence’
Immediately after a Sayreville councilwoman was shot and killed in her car, one of her neighbors thinks he saw the shooter fleeing down an alley and hopping over a brick wall to escape.
Sayreville GOP Councilwoman Eunice Dwumfour was shot to death as she was coming home to the Camelot at La Mer townhouse community Wednesday night. Witnesses have reported as many as 10 or more gunshots.
Law enforcement officials have been particularly tight-lipped about the case, declining to answer questions. The Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office, for example, issued a press release Friday saying there would be no press conferences and they would answer no questions while the investigation was ongoing.
That leaves it up to witnesses to provide details about the shooting and its aftermath.
Even Dwumfour’s family is waiting for answers. Prince Dwumfour, Eunice’s father, said Friday that his family was doing well.
"We are just waiting for them to tell us something," he said, adding that he couldn’t talk because everything was under investigation.
In a Facebook post Saturday afternoon, the Sayreville Police Department asked for the public’s help with the investigation.
Numerous residents who lived in Eunice Dwumfour’s complex reported hearing the barrage of shots and the ensuing car crash.
The neighbor who believes he saw the shooter asked not to be identified. He said he was laying in bed around 7:20 p.m Wednesday, watching TV. His window, he said, was about 20 feet from where the shooting took place.
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“I heard it clear as day. Pop-pop-pop-pop, then a brief pause, and then (the shooter) finished off whatever he had in the clip,” he recalled.
"I hopped up out of my bed and ran out on my balcony to see what was going on. As I was running out, I had a straight view from here. Immediately when I came out, I saw (the assailant) scaling that brick wall right there.”
The witness was describing an area about halfway down the hill on Check Avenue, where there is an alley between two sets of townhouses, right behind the community mailboxes. The alley leads to a brick wall barrier, topped by a white fence. On the other side of the fence is the Garden State Parkway.
The neighbor repeatedly referred to the shooter as a ”he,” but said he only saw him from the back. He said the assailant wore a hoodie and jeans.
“His back was turned,” the neighbor said. “He was going over the fence, he ran through the alleyway and over the wall. As soon as he went over the fence I heard the car crash at the bottom of the hill. So I turned (right) and looked that way. It kind of registered in my head … somebody got shot.
“By the time I looked back (the assailant) was nowhere to seen. As I stepped onto the balcony he was just going over that white fence. I could see right through [the alley]. The only thing that helped me is there was a street light right there. So I just caught him going over the fence. Then I heard the car crash.”
After the shooting, Dwumfour’s car rolled down the hill, ultimately crashing into a Mercedes-Benz parked at the end of the street. After 7 p.m., the neighbor explained, the amount of parking available is limited as residents have returned from work.
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"There was broken glass at the bottom of the hill,” the neighbor said, describing the scene. ”But there was no glass here (halfway up the hill, near the alley, where the shooting took place), just shell casings.”
The car that Dwumfour’s vehicle crashed into was owned by Brenda Robertson, who has lived at the complex with her husband, Isaac, for 19 years. They didn’t hear the shooting — or the crash, until a neighbor knocked on the door.
“She told me my car had been hit and there was an accident,” Brenda Robertson said. “That somebody was shot. The car was up against my car.
“I wasn't worried about the car. It's the life that was taken. That was my concern,” she said.
The Robertsons didn’t know Dwumfour, but Isaac had seen her walking her dog.
“I feel really bad that something like that would happen here,” he said. ”If it could happen here, it could happen anywhere in the country.”
Mitch Epperly, who lives in the complex with his wife, Brittany, said after the gunshots, they walked out and saw a detective asking questions. The [bullet] casings were all over, right by the mailboxes. I walked down and saw the car. She got shot in the car.”
John Harri, a seven-year resident, said he and Dwumfour had their dogs in common.
“She had a little French bulldog. I have a little pitbull,” he said. ”We talked about regular neighbor stuff, like how her dog was scared of my dog.
“She was such a cool person.”
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Sayreville is planning a memorial service in honor of Dwumfour for the Sayreville community at 6 p.m. Wednesday at Epic Church international, 2707 Main St. Extension, Sayreville, according to the borough. The event is open to the community.
Jim Beckerman is a culture reporter and media columnist for the USA TODAY Network NorthJersey.com. Email him at beckerman@northjersey.com and follow him on Twitter @jimbeckerman1. For unlimited access to his insights about contemporary culture and the media, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Sayreville NJ neighbor thinks he saw person who killed councilwoman
