Police arrest suspect in shooting death of pro golfer Gene Siller, 2 others

File photo: UPI

July 9 (UPI) — Authorities in Georgia said they have arrested and charged a man accused of killing three people, including a professional golfer, earlier this month.

Cobb County Police Chief Tim Cox told reporters during an evening press conference Thursday that agents with the fugitive task force and the U.S. Marshals Service arrested Bryan Rhoden in Chamblee, Ga.

He has been charged with three counts of murder, three counts of aggravated assault and two counts of kidnapping, Cox said.

The police chief said though he can’t reveal much about the case, as the investigation is on going, Rhoden’s name surfaced a few days after the crime was committed on Saturday.

Pro golfer Gene Siller was fatally shot at the Pinetree Country Club in Kennesaw, about 27 miles north of Atlanta, at about 2:20 p.m. Saturday by a man who drove a white Ram pickup onto the golf course with two dead bodies in the bed of the truck before fleeing the scene, setting police on a statewide manhunt.

“We literally had detectives that have worked round the clock and some have slept in their offices since July 3 trying to clear this case,” Cox said.

Police have said that Siller was killed on the 10th hole of the country club where he worked due to happening upon a crime in progress.

“We definitely feel confident there was no relationship between the shooter and Mr. Siller,” Cox said Thursday.

Authorities have identified the two other victims as Henry Valdez, 46, of California, and Paul Pierson, the 76-year-old Kansas resident and owner of the white pickup.

According to jail records from DeKalb County, which is about 30 miles southeast of the country club, Rhoden was arrested later Saturday by the Chamblee Police Department and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, providing false identification, operating a vehicle without insurance and other similar charges.

He was released on bond on Tuesday.

When asked about the charges, Cox said he was aware of the arrest but declined to comment further.

“Like I said, the investigation is still continuing, and we’re actually involved at this moment with discussions.”

The brazen shooting set the town of Kennesaw on edge as the manhunt continued and little information about the shooter or the crime was released to the public.

Cox on Thursday said he understands how they felt, but police never deviated from their goal of finding and arresting the man responsible for the three deaths.

“I realized that some members of the community felt some frustration, they felt like they had limited information, and I can respect that feeling,” he said. “From the perspective that I’m at, we had a mission to come to a successful conclusion of this and provide a form a justice to the Siller family, and the successful arrest and prosecution was our highest priority.”

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