Police hunting gunman who killed Colorado prison chief

Police in Colorado say they are hunting a gunman, who shot and killed the state prisons chief at his home earlier.

On Wednesday, police said there was no clear motive for killing Tom Clements, the executive director of the Colorado Department of Corrections.

Clements was shot at his home in Monument, north of Colorado Springs around 8:30 pm local time on Tuesday evening.

“We have no known suspect at this time,” Lieutenant Jeff Kramer, spokesman for the El Paso County Sheriff’s office said, adding, “There is no evidence of a home invasion… Whether he was specifically targeted or this was random, we don’t know.”

We know of his position and realize that it is a possible motive for a crime such as this… It is a quick, rapidly evolving investigation,” he stated.

After the killing, police cordoned off the area immediately, and searched nearby woods.

Hours after the shooting, Governor John Hickenlooper signed three new gun laws into force.

According to the new law, background checks are required for private and online gun sales, and ammunition magazines that hold more than 15 rounds are prohibited.

Every year, more than 30,000 people are shot and killed in the United States.

The US averages 87 gun deaths each day as a function of gun violence, with an average of 183 injured, according to the University of Chicago Crime Lab and the Centers for Disease Control.

The year 2012 was a record setting year for gun sales in the US.

About 4.5 million firearms are sold annually in the United States at a cost of 2 to 3 billion dollars.