In the early morning hours of October 10, 2021, the life of 35-year-old Mark Wright was tragically cut short in an Atlantic City rooming house. Police received a 911 call at approximately 4:04 a.m. and responded to the Cassino Hotel rooming house located at 28 S. Georgia Avenue. Upon their arrival, they discovered Wright in the doorway of a room, having sustained a fatal gunshot wound.
He was pronounced deceased at the scene.
The investigation into the shooting quickly identified a suspect, 45-year-old Umar Abdullah, who was a neighbor of Wright's, living in an adjacent room. According to Wright's brother, the two men had a history of arguments, with the tension allegedly stemming from Wright's sexual orientation. The conflict escalated, leading to a physical altercation that Wright reportedly won. His brother believes this, and the subsequent teasing Abdullah received, was the catalyst for the deadly encounter.
Following a five-week manhunt, Umar Abdullah, who also used the aliases James Collins and James Coger III and was known by the nicknames 'Munchie' and 'O,' was apprehended in Egg Harbor City by the U.S. Marshals Task Force. The shooting incident was reportedly captured on video surveillance, which Abdullah had attempted to remove from the front desk area before fleeing. Abdullah was charged with murder and weapons offenses. In June 2025, a jury convicted him of the murder of Mark Wright. He was subsequently sentenced to 70 years in prison for the crime.
