Texas prosecutor killed near courthouse

KAUFMAN, Texas -- An assistant district attorney was shot and killed yesterday morning near the North Texas courthouse where he worked, and authorities said they were searching through his cases to try to find clues about why he may have been targeted.

Mark Hasse, 57, was walking toward the Kaufman County courthouse annex just before 9 a.m. when a masked gunman shot him multiple times, county authorities said. Hasse was taken away in an ambulance. It was unclear whether he died at the hospital or en route.

Investigators had some leads but had not arrested anyone, Kaufman police Chief Chris Aulbaugh said. The suspect or suspects were believed to have fled in a brown or silver older model Ford Taurus. Kaufman is about 33 miles southeast of Dallas.

District Attorney Mike McLelland said Hasse was a spectacular prosecutor who would not be easily replaced, and his office, the county and the state had suffered a "devastating loss." Hasse was the head of the organized crime unit. ---- AP