A prison official with a three-decade career in Missouri was shot and killed at his home in Colorado Tuesday night.
Tom Clements began his career in 1979 as a probation and parole officer in St. Louis. In 2007, he became Missouri’s director of adult institutions where he oversaw Missouri’s 20 adult correctional facilities. In 2011, he moved to Colorado and took over the Department of Corrections there.
George Lombardi is the director of Missouri’s Department of Correction and knew Clements well.
“I sent out a note to every staff member in the department. I’ve sent [a note] to a number of people who used to work in the department, members of the corrections department, and members of the General Assembly,” Lombardi said. “The governor has put out a statement about Tom here, in addition to the governor of Colorado, of course. So, we’re all trying to make sense of it. And right now, it doesn’t make any sense.”
Lombardi says Clements’ former colleagues in Missouri are grieving upon hearing the disturbing news.
“I’m getting lots of emails, lots of notes, lots of empathy issues coming back at us. It’s tough. It’s really difficult,” Lombardi said.
Lombardi said Clements was a good, decent and kind man. He said he didn’t know of anyone who was angry at Clements or who may have held a grudge against him.
Governor Jay Nixon issued a statement, calling the murder a heartbreaking tragedy.
