Tom Clements, Colo. Dept. of Corrections Chief, shot and killed at home, police say

(CBS/AP) DENVER - A manhunt is under way for a gunman who shot and killed the head of the Colorado Department of Corrections when he answered the front door of his home, police said.

PICTURES: Colo. prisons chief shot and killed at home

Tom Clements, 58, was shot around 8:30 p.m. Tuesday at his home in Monument, north of Colorado Springs, said Lt. Jeff Kramer of the El Paso County Sheriff's Office.

Kramer said a family member called 911 to report the shooting and officers found Clements dead in his home. Search dogs were called in to comb through a wooded area around Clements' home. Authorities were also going house to house trying to find out what neighbors heard and saw.

Gov. John Hickenlooper appointed Clements to head the Department of Corrections in 2011 after he served more than three decades in the Missouri Department of Corrections. 

The department operates 20 adult prisons and a juvenile detainment system.

In a statement released early Wednesday, Hickenlooper said he was in disbelief over the killing.

"As your executive director, he helped change and improve (the department) in two years more than most people could do in eight years. He was unfailingly kind and thoughtful, and sought the 'good' in any situation. I am so sad. I have never worked with a better person than Tom, and I can't imagine our team without him," Hickenlooper said.

The governor said he's awaiting further details.

Clements is survived by his wife, Lisa, and their two daughters. Hickenlooper asked the public to respect their privacy.