Man in Texas car chase, shootout, may have ties to Colorado pris - 12 News KBMT and K-JAC. News, Weather and Sports for SE Texas

Man in Texas car chase, shootout, may have ties to Colorado prison chief death

A man in a black Cadillac who got into a shootout with Texas deputies may have ties to the murder of the Colorado prisons chief earlier this week, authorities said.

The man in the shootout remains in the hospital but is "legally deceased," Wise County, Texas, Sheriff David Walker said, saying he is being kept alive to allow his organs to potentially be harvested.

The man's car had Colorado license plates and was heading south, according to police. Colorado officials had issued an appeal to the public to be on the lookout for a boxy, dark Cadillac or Lincoln.

According to Texas authorities, the man's identity remains a mystery. "He had no identification on him," Walker said. "Nothing." Police said he was a white male and looked to be in his 30s.

It remains unclear if he is linked to the Colorado murder case, though authorities said the description of the car and the Colorado plates indicated there was a possibility.

"I know that there are a lot of rumors going around," Walker said about the Colorado link. "We don't know that it is, or it's not."

He said Colorado was sending investigators who are looking into the killing of Tom Clements, 58, the director of the state's Department of Corrections, who was shot Tuesday evening when he answered the door to his home.

Texas Rangers and the FBI are also assisting in the investigation.