Golf pro’s co-workers who witnessed his murder speak out amid new developments in the case

KENNESAW, Ga. - Gene Siller’s co-workers at Pinetree Country Club said he was the kind of guy who would give you the shirt off his back.

Chad Phillips, the director of golf instruction at the course, said Siller was likely trying to help the man who shot him in the head on Saturday afternoon. 

"That’s what made him a great golf pro along with a great man," said Phillips, who watched Siller’s murder from afar. "When it was unfolding it was a lot of confusion, I saw the truck and unfortunately witnessed what happened at the time. At the time, didn’t really know what I was witnessing."

Police said that Siller was not targeted, but killed because he was witnessing the gunman commit a crime. 

The suspect drove a white pickup truck onto the tenth hole. Siller was killed when he approached the man. 

In the back of the pickup truck, police discovered the bodies of the truck’s owner, Paul Pierson, and another man police have not released the name of. 

Every club member, neighbor, and employee FOX 5 spoke to said they did not know who Pierson was.  Police have only said he is 76 years old.

Police did not release any other details about the other two victims.

Although it was not immediately clear if the suspect was still on the run Tuesday afternoon, Cobb County police said "there is not an active threat to the public at large and there was not a directed threat to residents of the neighborhood."

Tuesday, the precint 1 commander wrote a letter to those in the community telling them the departments "Crimes Against Persons detectives and numerous other special units continue to work on active leads in this homicide case."

Another golf instructor at the course, Corey Evans, said that Siller’s death has left a hole in the club’s community.

"It’s still kind of a numb feeling," he said. "It’s just one of those things that is kind of hard to wrap your head around."

Both Evans and Phillips watched the gunman take off on foot moments after the shooting. It took a few moments to proves what they just saw – and heard -- up the fairway.

"In everyone’s mind was fireworks because we had a huge fireworks display for the Fourth," Phillips said. "I was trying to convince myself that the shots we were hearing were fireworks, but unfortunately they weren’t."

They said the club’s community is grateful for the support from the golf world across the country. With no word on the suspect’s whereabouts, they want anyone who could help bring the killer to justice to come forward.

"As difficult as it is in these times, you want to quit, you want to move on, you maybe want to do something else, do you want to run away from it, I don’t think that’s what Gene would want," Phillips said. 

A GoFundMe was established for his family.

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