Wrong Place, Wrong Time for Golf Pro Killed at Country Club

Suspect still at large in murders of Gene Siller, 2 other men
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 7, 2021 12:48 AM CDT
Wrong Place, Wrong Time for Pro Golfer Killed in Golf Course Shooting
The Cobb County Police Headquarters sign is seen, Monday, June 14, 2021, in Kennesaw, Ga.   (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

The community of Kennesaw, Ga., is "on edge," per the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, as police continue to search for the suspect in a triple homicide Saturday afternoon at the Pinetree Country Club golf course. "I just don’t know where this guy is," explained one resident who says he has started carrying his handgun since the murders, which left golf pro Gene Siller dead. Police, however, said Tuesday that they believe Siller was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, WSB-TV reports. "It does not appear Siller was in any way targeted, but rather was killed because he witnessed an active crime taking place," they said in a statement. Siller, who worked at the club, had gone to investigate a truck that appeared to be stuck in a sand trap on the 10th hole.

"It could’ve been any of us who went up there," says a club member who also noticed the truck and thought the driver might have experienced a medical emergency. Friends say Siller was likely trying to help the man who ultimately shot him. While it's still not clear what happened, police say Siller happened upon a crime involving the suspect, who fled, and two other men who were found dead in the truck. Police have still not named one of the men; the other was the 76-year-old owner of the truck. Fox 5 Atlanta spoke to multiple club members, neighbors, and employees who said they did not recognize that man, and investigators say the suspect and two other victims appear to have no relationship to the club. Further details, including a motive, remain a mystery, but police say there is no "active threat to the public at large." (More Georgia stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X