Professional golfer Gene Siller was fatally shot at the Pinetree Country Club in Kennesaw, Ga., Saturday, authorities said.
"All of us at the GSGA are deeply saddened by the tragic events that occurred earlier today at Pinetree CC. Our thoughts and prayers are with Gene Siller’s family and friends," the Georgia State Golfing Association tweeted.
Siller, who was in his 40s, was a member of the Pinetree Country Club staff and had previously worked as the director of golf and head golf pro at Summit Chase Country Club, according to the Gwinnett Daily Post.
Since 2007, Siller had regularly competed in Georgia's PGA Section golfing tournaments, the Post reported.
"Tragedy has stricken the Georgia Section PGA in the loss of our Member, Gene Siller. Thoughts and prayers for his family and the Pinetree Country Club family," the Georgia PGA tweeted.
Siller, a husband and father of two, was reportedly responding to an issue on the course's 10th hole when a man in a white truck pulled his vehicle onto a sand trap nearby, according to the Post. When Siller went to talk with the man in the vehicle, he was shot and later died.
Officials described the suspect as a 6-foot-1-inch Hispanic male with long hair, dark-colored work pants and a white or tan shirt.
Neighbor John Lavender told WAGA-TV he heard “five, six booms go off” and wasn’t sure whether it was gunshots or fireworks. “You just don’t think it’s gunshots in this area,” he said.
The suspect remained on the loose Sunday, news outlet 11 Alive reported.
The country club is near the campus of Kennesaw State University. After the shooting, the school tweeted that there were no credible threats to campus, which is about 25 miles northwest of downtown Atlanta.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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