A man described as a “lone shooter” was arrested in Chamblee, Georgia Thursday and charged with the murder of a Kennesaw golf pro, along with two others.
“Bryan Anthony Rhoden of Atlanta was taken into custody in DeKalb County, more than 25 miles from Pinetree Country Club where golf pro Gene Siller, 46, was shot dead Saturday afternoon, according to Cobb officials,” The Atlanta Journal-Constitution said, “Rhoden is charged with three counts of murder, three counts of aggravated assault and two counts of kidnapping, Cobb police Chief Tim Cox said during a hastily arranged news conference Thursday evening.”
No motive for the killings was given, and the details of the alleged murder and Rhoden’s arrest are confounding.
Saturday, Rhoden allegedly drove a white Ford F-350 pickup truck onto the 10th hole of the Pinetree Country Club. When Siller went to check the ruckus, he was reportedly shot dead. In the bed of the truck, two more bodies were found. Henry Valdez, 46, of Anaheim, California, and Paul Pierson, 76, of Topeka, Kansas, were the other two victims, according to the report. The latter was the owner of the vehicle, and it is unclear how they are connected to the suspect.
But Rhoden was not apprehended right away.
He was only arrested later that evening in Chamblee when he was pulled over, allegedly driving the same truck. He was charged with DUI, driving without insurance, driving an unregistered vehicle, using a fake license plate, using a fake ID, and a headlight violation.
He made bail Tuesday and was released, only to be re-arrested in Chamblee Thursday on the homicide charges.
According to AJC, Rhoden has been in trouble with the law before.
As an 18-year-old student at Georgia State University, he allegedly shot another man three times during a drug deal. He too, was shot and taken to the hospital. Both men were charged with assault, attempted murder and possession of a firearm on campus. Rhoden was released on bond, and the status of those charges remains unclear. The charges against the other man involved in the incident were dropped.
Rhoden was an aspiring rapper who went by the stage name B. Rod.
“I realize that some members of the community felt some frustration,” Cox said in his press conference. “They felt like they had limited information, and I can respect that feeling.”
He also alluded to the fact that Siller’s murder was not premeditated, telling reporters that Siller “happened upon a crime in progress” and was “killed because he witnessed an active crime taking place.”
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Pete D’Abrosca is a contributor at The Georgia Star News and The Star News Network. Follow Pete on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
