Tom Clements, director of the Colorado Department of Corrections, was shot and killed Tuesday night at his home in Monument, Colo.
(Photo: Colorado Dept. of Corrections)
Doug Stanglin, USA TODAY
The director of the Colorado Department of Corrections was shot and killed Tuesday night as he answered the door at his home, authorities said.
El Paso County Sheriff's Lt. Jeff Kramer said Tom Clements was shot in the chest around 8:30 p.m. by an unknown assailant at his home in Monument, Colo., just north of Colorado Springs.
Kramer said a family member who was home at the time called 911.
Search dogs were called in to comb through a wooded area around Clements' home, and authorities were going house to house trying to find out what neighbors heard.
Authorities said they do not have a suspect in the attack, but do not believe that the neighborhood where the shooting occurred is in danger.
CBS Denver reported that state officials have increased security for top Colorado government appointed officials and at the governor's mansion.
Gov. John Hickenlooper issued a statement to the 6,000 employees of the department of Corrections, saying Clements was "unfailingly kind and thoughtful, and sought the "good" in any situation."
"Last night, Tom Clements was killed at his home in Monument. I can hardly believe it, let alone write words to describe it," Hickenlooper said.
The 58-year-old Clements was appointed to his post by Hickenlooper in 2011. As executive director, he was responsible for all state and private prisons and parole operations.
Before going to Colorado, Clements served for 31 years in the Missouri Department of Corrections.