Updated at 12:35 p.m. ET
MONUMENT, Colorado Authorities are searching for a car seen near the house of Tom Clements, the executive director of the Colorado Department of Corrections, at the time of his murder in Monument, Colorado, on Tuesday night.
Police said Clements was shot and killed after he opened the front door of his house at approximately 8:30 p.m. A family member in the home called 911.
A suspect had not been apprehended as of Wednesday morning, but officials said they had a vehicle of interest in the case. A dark-colored "boxy" car was seen near the house, the vehicle's engine was running and a witness reported seeing one person driving away in the car.
At a news conference Wednesday morning, authorities say investigators have not ruled anything out, but the shooting could be related to Clements' job.
"We're sensitive to the fact that serving in that type of position could in fact make him a target or folks would have motive to target him in a crime such as this however we're making sure we remain open minded to a number of other theories as well," El Paso County Sheriff's spokesman Lt. Jeff Kramer said.
The home of the Clements family in Monument, Colorado.
/ CBS
Clements, 58, was appointed to serve as the head of the DOC by Governor John Hickenlooper in January 2011 after he served for more than three decades in the Missouri Department of Corrections. He oversaw operations of state and private prisons and parole operations.
Hickenlooper, red-eyed and somber at Wednesday's news conference, said he doesn't think the killing was part of any larger attack against his cabinet.
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."
While Clements generally kept a low profile, his killing comes a week after Clements denied a Saudi national prisoner's request to be sent to his home country to serve out his sentence.
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[h=3]Colo. prisons chief shot and killed at home[/h]
Homaidan al-Turki was convicted of sexually assaulting a housekeeper and keeping her as a virtual slave. Clements said state law requires sex offenders to undergo treatment while in prison and that al-Turki had declined to participate.
State officials said they have increased security for top Colorado government appointed officials and have increased security at the governor's mansion in the wake of the incident. Officials told KCNC reporter Brian Maass the move was purely precautionary and there was no threat that would make it seem other state leaders were in danger.
Hickenlooper ordered that all flags lowered to half-staff Wednesday on all public buildings statewide in memory of Clements.
Clements is survived by his wife, Lisa, along with two daughters.
MONUMENT, Colorado Authorities are searching for a car seen near the house of Tom Clements, the executive director of the Colorado Department of Corrections, at the time of his murder in Monument, Colorado, on Tuesday night.
Police said Clements was shot and killed after he opened the front door of his house at approximately 8:30 p.m. A family member in the home called 911.
A suspect had not been apprehended as of Wednesday morning, but officials said they had a vehicle of interest in the case. A dark-colored "boxy" car was seen near the house, the vehicle's engine was running and a witness reported seeing one person driving away in the car.
At a news conference Wednesday morning, authorities say investigators have not ruled anything out, but the shooting could be related to Clements' job.
"We're sensitive to the fact that serving in that type of position could in fact make him a target or folks would have motive to target him in a crime such as this however we're making sure we remain open minded to a number of other theories as well," El Paso County Sheriff's spokesman Lt. Jeff Kramer said.
/ CBS
Clements, 58, was appointed to serve as the head of the DOC by Governor John Hickenlooper in January 2011 after he served for more than three decades in the Missouri Department of Corrections. He oversaw operations of state and private prisons and parole operations.
Hickenlooper, red-eyed and somber at Wednesday's news conference, said he doesn't think the killing was part of any larger attack against his cabinet.
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."
While Clements generally kept a low profile, his killing comes a week after Clements denied a Saudi national prisoner's request to be sent to his home country to serve out his sentence.
[h=3]Colo. prisons chief shot and killed at home[/h]
Homaidan al-Turki was convicted of sexually assaulting a housekeeper and keeping her as a virtual slave. Clements said state law requires sex offenders to undergo treatment while in prison and that al-Turki had declined to participate.
State officials said they have increased security for top Colorado government appointed officials and have increased security at the governor's mansion in the wake of the incident. Officials told KCNC reporter Brian Maass the move was purely precautionary and there was no threat that would make it seem other state leaders were in danger.
Hickenlooper ordered that all flags lowered to half-staff Wednesday on all public buildings statewide in memory of Clements.
Clements is survived by his wife, Lisa, along with two daughters.