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© Photo: Colorado Dept. of CorrectionsTom Clements, director of the Colorado Department of Corrections, was shot and killed Tuesday night at his home in Monument, Colo.
The head of the Colorado Department of Corrections has been shot and killed at his home, and authorities say the gunman is on the loose.

Sheriff's Lt. Jeff Kramer says Tom Clements was shot to death around 8:30 p.m. Tuesday night when he answered his front door in Monument, north of Colorado Springs. Police are searching for the shooter.

Clements, 58, lived in Monument and was appointed to serve as the head of the DOC by Governor John Hickenlooper in January 2011, reports CBS station KCNC in Denver. He oversaw operations of state and private prisons and parole operations. Clements came to Colorado from Missouri, where he worked for 31 years in the Missouri Department of Corrections.

Eric Brown, a spokesman for Gov. John Hickenlooper, said DOC employees and other state employees were being notified early Wednesday morning about the murder. He said Gov. Hickenlooper would also likely make a public statement early Wednesday morning.

In an email to Department of Corrections employees notifying them of the killing, Gov. Hickenlooper said, "I can hardly believe it, let alone write words to describe it. I am so sad. I have never worked with a better person than Tom, and I can't imagine our team without him."

The governor described Clements as "unfailingly kind and thoughtful."

Clements is survived by his wife, Lisa, along with two daughters.