The latest local news, weather and high school sports in and around Columbia and Jefferson City

(AP) -- The head of the Colorado Department of Corrections was been shot and killed at his home, and authorities say the gunman is on the loose.

Sheriff's Lt. Jeff Kramer said 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.

Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper appointed Clements to the post in 2011 after he served for more than three decades in the Missouri Department of Corrections.

Clements was the Director of Adult Institutions for the Missouri Department of Corrections.

“This is a heartbreaking tragedy for Tom Clements’ family and everyone who was fortunate enough to have known him, including his many friends at the Missouri Department of Corrections,” Missouri Governor Jay Nixon said. “Tom dedicated his professional life and his considerable skills to public service and protection, and the citizens of Missouri join the people of Colorado in mourning this tremendous loss.”

After Clements was appointed, Hickenlooper praised Clements for his approach to incarceration, saying Clements relied on proven methods to improve prison safety inside and programs that have been shown to improve successful outcomes after offenders are released from prison.

The home is located in a wooded area with expensive homes on 2-acre lots.

(Copyright ©2013 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)